My top droppers: Jan 2009

Thank you all for dropping in....
I have enjoyed swinging by your place too :)

Dropper	# of drops
Robin's Nest: Scrap out loud	31
My gypsygoods	31
Alteredevents	30
Guilty Pleasures	28
BeadedTail	26
Stroll Through Storyland	25
Rose Works Jewelry Blog	25
NICO* Designs	23
A Jedi's Musings	21
Shopperista	21

1 Year Stay of the CPSIA

gush4plush Happy Green Monster

Woo Hoo! Just 2 days after the blog in and more chat time on Etsy with the CPSC...there is a one year stay of enforcement for certain testing and certification requirements...yippee! One more year to fight to get things right. Now maybe they will find a way to keep the safety without losing all the quality handmade and Indie items that we love for our children.

Click here to read the statement from the CPSC: "Grants on one year stay..."

lookie :: ACEO Best Wishes

Orzo Salad

Serves: 12

Ingredients:
12 ounces orzo, prepared as directed
3 cloves garlic, minced 2 pints grape tomatoes
2 bunches scallions (if you are an onion fan - use red onions)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon basil
1/2 cup fresh dill (dried can work if no fresh available)
1/4 cup fresh parsley (ditto on the dried)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
6 ounces feta cheese

note: I never measure, but I did once for when I wrote the recipe down...but variations according to taste work just fine :)

Directions:
Mix it all together in a big 'ol bowl

Nutrition: 204 Calories; 8g Fat (35.8% calories from fat); 3g Saturated Fat; 6g Protein; 27g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 13mg Cholesterol; 167mg Sodium.
Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1 1/2 Fat.

note: for those who are unsure of what orzo is...it is a rice shaped pasta - you can find it in the pasta aisle with the other noodles...it usually comes in a smallish box.

Etsybloggers Trunk Show

YOU are INVITED!! Come see a LIVE virtual TRUNK SHOW this Friday night!! On Friday Jan. 30th @ 9PM EST, where twenty-six talented Etsy shops from all over the world will be showcasing a select few of their items ONLINE in the GALLERY of the EtsyLabs! Sales and special offers will apply only to the EtsyBloggers TRUNK SHOW attendees!

Everyone is welcome to attend, so come and join the fun here
on Friday Jan. 30th @ 9:PM EST.

In addition, the below 26 participating shops are having a SALE in their shops on Friday night in honor of the EtsyBloggers TRUNK SHOW!

Leakymouth
Specials for trunk show - 10% off

SpottedCowSoaps
20% off Valentines Section 1/30/09 ~ mention "Trunk Show" to receive discount
Handcrafted soaps, toiletries and crochet bath accessories

DorsetHillBeads
FREE U.S. SHIPPING
One of a kind handmade lampwork beads

tiltcreations
Free US Shipping
Handmade handbags and accessories

TulipsTreasureBox
10% discount and free USA shipping on any item $50 and up
Handmade Women's Jewelry

NicoDesigns
15% Off, valid 1/30/09
Mention "Trunk Show" in note to seller for discount
Messenger Bags and Accessories

NatureManipulated
10% OFF and FREE SHIPPING.
Visual, wearable and practical art

aliciemaeprints
10% off all prints, valid 1/30 only
Photography

miesmama
handmade felted bags, bowls and other goodies!
For free US Shipping and surprise gift! Just quote "trunk show" on 1/30 only.

memoriesforlifesb
10 % off everything in my shop!
Memories for Life Scrapbooks-Scrapbooks and More

Panoptica
10% OFF before shipping
Eclectic accessories and vintage goods

beckykazana
Free shipping on orders of $40 or more
Cards, prints and one of a kind gifts from Becky Kazana!

DevineDesignsJewelry
15% off every item in shop, and with purchase, you will receive a coupon for 10% off next purchase. Buyer please put "TRUNK SHOW" in notes to seller.

MamasMagicStudio
10% Off and Free U.S. Shipping
"Fraternal Earrings" and other beautiful beadwork

StormyDesigns
10% OFF with code "trunk show", valid 1/30 only
Hand-crafted jewelry, decor & more. Many OOAK.

abracapocus
10% off
Digital Art, Photography and Note Cards

impawsibletoresist
10% off
Doll Clothes and ACEOs

feltartistic
I will be offering Free gift with purchase - when mentioning "Trunk Show" in note to seller.

peacoxcreations
Two free apple scrubbies with any order!

AKeepersJackpot
Free shipping worldwide on any item from 1/29/09 through 2/1/09
Put TRUNK SHOW in the message to the seller to get the free shipping.

3rexesjewelry
Free Priority Shipping Upgrade & Valentine's Gift Wrapping..... Upon Request Please!
Mention Trunk Show in customer comment box.

storybeader
Free US shipping, and I'm offering 10% off on Jan. 30th
one-of-a-kind jewelry and original haiku with each necklace

lilbees
free shipping with code "trunk show", valid 1/30 only

brightblack
free shipping with code "trunk show", valid 1/30 only

quirkydolls
free shipping with " trunk show" code in order

STOP CPSIA

"As parents and concerned citizens I’m sure most of us at one time or another have been confronted with the question of lead poisoning. But have you asked yourself what your government is doing to protect your children from lead contained in toys? The answer? They're banning toys, taking books from schools and libraries, hurting low income families, killing entrepreneurial spirit and risking putting the economy in an even greater depression than we've seen in decades. I'd like to introduce you to their solution: the CPSIA.

Do you know about the CPSIA? No? Then I ask you to take a few minutes to find out about it.

The CPSIA stands for Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, a new set of laws that will come into effect on 10 February, 2009 and will impact many, many people in a negative way. Make no mistake, this is very real. View it for yourself. If Forbes, the American Library Association and numerous other media are paying attention, perhaps you should too.

How will these new laws affect you? Well, here are a few examples:

To the Parents of Young Students:
Due to the new law, expect to see the cost of school supplies sky rocket. While those paper clips weren't originally intended for your student to use, they will need to be tested now that your 11-year-old needs them for his school project. This law applies to any and all school supplies (textbooks, pencils, crayons, paper, etc.) being used by children under 12.

To the Avid Reader:
Due to the new law, all children's books will be pulled from library and school shelves, as there is no exemption for them. That’s okay though, there's always television. Our children don’t need to learn the love of reading after all.
Article from the American Library Association http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1322

To the Lover of All Things Handmade:
Due to the new law, you will now be given a cotton ball and an instruction manual so you can make it yourself since that blanket you originally had your eye on for $50 will now cost you around $1,000 after it's passed testing. It won't even be the one-of-a-kind blanket you were hoping for. Items are destroyed in the testing process making one-of-a-kind items virtually impossible. So that gorgeous hand-knit hat you bought your child this past winter won’t be available next winter.

To the Environmentalist:
Due to the new law, all items in non-compliance will now be dumped into our already overflowing landfills. Imagine not just products from the small business owners, but the Big Box Stores as well. You can't sell it so you must toss it. Or be potentially sued for selling it. You can't even give them away. If you are caught, it is still a violation.

To the Second-Hand Shopper:
Due to the new law, you will now need to spend $20 for that brand new pair of jeans for your 2-year old, rather than shop at the Goodwill for second hand. Many resale shops are eliminating children's items all together to avoid future lawsuits.

To the Entrepreneur:
Due to this new law, you will be forced to adhere to strict testing of your unique products or discontinue to make and/or sell them. Small businesses will be likely to be unable to afford the cost of testing and be forced to close up shop. Due to the current economic state, you'll have to hope for the best when it comes to finding a new job in Corporate America.

To the Antique Toy Collector:
Due to the new law, you'd better start buying now because it's all going to private collection and will no longer be available to purchase. “Because the new rules apply retroactively, toys and clothes already on the shelf will have to be thrown out if they aren't certified as safe.” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123189645948879745.html

To the American Economy:
Already struggling under an economy that hasn’t been this weak in decades, the American economy will be hit harder with the inevitable loss of jobs and revenues from suppliers, small businesses and consumers. The required testing is far too costly and restrictive for small businesses or individuals to undertake.

To the Worldwide Economy:
Due to this new law, many foreign manufacturers have already pulled out of the US market. You can imagine the impact of this on their businesses.

If you think this is exaggerating, here is a recent article from Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/16/cpsia-safety-toys-oped-cx_wo_0116olson.html

And for those of you prepared to be stupefied and boggled, The New Law
http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/cpsia.html

Did you know? If this upsets or alarms you, please react. You can find out how to contact your representative here and your senator here."

-authors: Winklepots and Chichiboulie

Click here to download Etsy's CPSIA Action Pack

picture is an iron-on transfer available at MiniMonster on Etsy

More blog posts from today's blog in:
LazyTcrochet
Joey and Aleetha
The Filigree Garden
Bam Designs
The Boulie Blog
My Aphrodite Jewelry
GoGo Glue Gun Fun
Bugga Love
Leaky Mouth
Lenox Knits
NICO Designs
5 O'Clock Somewhere

and click here for a list of more

Etsyblogger of the Month: Roseworks

Every month my Etsyblogger team feature a teammate. This month we are featuring a friend. If you follow my blog you know that she & I are working on a selling venues series together. That is just the tip of her giant iceburg of busyness. She has two Etsy shops: Roseworks Jewelry and Kindred Spirit Treasures, which she runs with her mom.

She also has three, yes 3, blogs. There is her main blog Rosework's Jewelry, her blog centered more around her writing (another talent she has) - Jedi's Musings, and her treasury blog - Roseworks Jewelry's Treasury - where she promotes other artisans.

Ready for more? I don't know how she is, but she still does it. She hosts an online radio show on Blockhead Radio Thursday nights 9pm EST. Her show spotlights a different artisan every week. I had the honor of appearing on her show early on. It is a hoot. There is an open chat room during the show where we have tons of fun. Blockhead has now branched out on their own and are on 24/7 - you should really stop by - it is all about artisans helping artisans.

Here are some of my fave items from her shops:




And one that is near & dear to me...and in my drawer :)

Selling Venues Series: Tell Me More: Silkfair

The sign up was quick and easy. This is the sign up page: (click pic to enlarge)


First thing I noted after sign up was how much I liked the Start Page setup. There are tabs for My Account, My Store, Communicate, Shopping Cart, Feedback and Favorites. It is nice having everything right there. Having everything right there makes so many things so much easier to accomplish – less clicking page to page to get things done or noted for the future. (click to enlarge)



The store set up was not as quick and easy. I had troubles with setting up some default profiles (which are necessary if you want to import listings directly from Etsy, or eBay...click here to read their thread on how to do this). You can enter numerous shipping, tax & pricing profiles. I still don’t fully understand the Pricing Profile, maybe it just does not apply to the kinds of listing I have. Once I got the defaults set up (I just did a fake pricing profile) I went to import items from Etsy…but it looks like it imports ALL the items, so I skipped it. I was only interested in moving over a few items. (click pic to enlarge)


The actual listing of the item was a breeze. You only get 4 photos, but you can have 2 videos as well. It says you can upload more than one pic at a time using the ctrl-shift dialog…but I have no idea what they mean. I saved without finishing the shipping profiles, but it was an easy fix. Editing can be done right on the Listing View page…wonderful feature! I really love the pop up windows on every page when the cursor rolls over something – more information without more clicking. (click pic to enlarge)


This is what the store page looks like:


One feature I really enjoy are the "heart and gear" pull down menus available at all times. The Favorites (the heart) lets you easily mark faves as you browse around. You can favorite the entire page, the store, the items or the category. Next to it is another pull down menu for printing the page, subscribing (rss), e-mailing and inviting friends. Common tasks are also available for adding items, viewing feedback, sending a message, going to your blog or viewing your profile. This is just one more way Silkfair keeps everything at your fingertips. (click pic to enlarge)



If you are interested in signing up - please take a moment to note me as referer using this link - thank you :)

added: They now have separate areas for production types when you list: Handmade (with options for One of a Kind, Mass produced and Limited Edition), Vintage or Antique (with era choices and styles)

Promote a Sister Sunday: illoominations

My Carried away Bags Etsy team blogs on Sundays to promote a fellow member. Today I chose illoominations, the newest member. Her bags are all hand woven and quite original. This is a tidbit from her profile:

"By day I am a retail supervisor and by night I am an "il-loom-inator!" I started weaving in college and picked it up again many years later. I make handbags, scarves, wall hangings, cell phone cozies and more! I welcome special orders. I would love to weave you something to your specifications!"

Here are just a few of her creations that you can find in her Etsy shop:

Tagged Yet Again

This time it's a meme from BeadinBabe.

The way it works: 1. Go to the 4th picture folder on your computer. 2. Post the 4th picture in that folder. 3. Explain the picture. 4. Tag 4 more people.

This is my son when he was 2...
much too old for his bouncy seat, but did not want to give it up!

I am going to be a bit of a party pooper & not tag...but instead, I open it to anyone who reads this. Just come back and leave us the link so we can go see :) I met her a few months ago when she was organizing a craft show here in Michigan...it was one of my first. She makes some awesome jewelry that you can find in her etsy shop. This is one of my faves:

Home Wreckonomics

Home wreckonomics = my home is going to wreck our economics. At least it decided to fall apart in an orderly fashion. A couple months ago it was the near fire disaster with the dryer. I was going to take pics of the dust elephants that came out of it...but deemed it too scary...and gross. Now the electrical went all pppfffhhhttt on us. Actually, it started last spring, but we ignored it.

It started upstairs in our bedroom (we have a bungalow). There are two overhead lights, one along the stairs and one in the main part above the bed. The stair one has a switch at the bottom of the stairs..yes, only at the bottom. It was a pain in the tooshie: 1st on > walk up> 2nd on > walk down > 1st off > walk back up. Yes, I know this makes me sound lazy, but everynight...it gets old fast. So you can understand that when it stopped working a year ago - we didn't care much. We just looked silly (if there were lights to see) walking zombie like to find the 2nd light...which just went pppfffhhhttt last month. It is the pull chain overhead kind - can't find one in the stores. Yet, we still put it off & just use the headboard lamp and still look silly.

Last week, the kitchen outlets stopped working. Just the outlets for plugging in...the light switches work just fine. This one we can't ignore. There is currently a domino electrical game going on. The kitchen appliances > sewing area > added to computer = scared to use all at once if = kabboomm!!!
I think I need to make a list of everything that is falling apart (like our kitchen cupboards which are minus 1 door). I titled this blog to include Home...so I think I shall start here.

And as you can see.. the kitchen needs some cosmetic work...but before you say anything...the color was done by us, on purpose :) Every room in the house has it's own color.

More to come on our fun 1947 bungalow that is not equipt to handle our 2009 world.

One World One Heart Giveaway

I have been wanting to do a giveaway for a while now and have just found the perfect way to go about it...with a ton of other bloggers! Lisa from A Whimsical Bohemian who is hosting this event on One World One Heart is the mastermind behind this event. Read what she has to say:

"The whole idea behind doing this and trying to get as many as possible to join in, was and is to meet new and wonderful people. Bloggers come from all walks of life, all socioeconomic backgrounds, all areas of the world, female, male...we all have stories to tell... we can be inspired or inspire others by finding a blog and taking the time to read...a spark happens...an understanding and shared passions in life"

"We are not solving the worlds problems nor are we curing anything nor are we changing the world. We are merely generating a closer community between humans through blogging."

I am going to have TWO PRIZES to giveaway. You don't have any hoops to jump through - no other sites to go check out first - nor do you have to already be a part of any online selling venue. You just need to leave me a note here before February 11th midnight EST. Be sure to give me a way to be able to contact you. I will be choosing the winners on February 12th using a random number generator at random.org.

Prize #1

Prize #2

Don't forget to check out everyone else that is participating!

And PLEASE - don't forget to leave me a way to contact you...leave your blog link or if you have a shop - leave that & I can message you there...heck, if you have a shop, leave it anyway so we all can go and have a peek :)

Taco Salad

serves: 6

Ingredients:
1/2 cup salsa
1/3 cup sour cream, light
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 large plum tomato, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound Jennie O' Ground turkey (I use this brand b/c it is the leanest I have found)
1 can organic red kidney beans
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, or 2Tsp dried
8 cups romaine lettuce, shredded
1/2 cup lowfat cheddar cheese, optional

Directions:
1. Combo salsa & sour cream in large mixing bowl.

2. Heat oil in large skillet & saute onion & garlic. Add turkey & cook through. Add tomatoes, beans, cumin & chili powder - cook & stir for a few minutes until the tomatoes soften up & break down.

3. Stir in 1/2 of salsa & sour cream mix - continue on low for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Add lettuce to bowl of salsa/sour cream & toss to coat.

5. Serve meat mixture over lettuce & sprinkle with cheese, if desired.

Nutrition:
Per Serving: 200 Calories; 3g Fat (14.4% calories from fat); 1g saturated Fat; 26g Protein; 18g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 33mg Cholesterol; 277mg Sodium.
Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 0 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

original source: Eating Well (some changes have been made)

Ice Ice Baby...

Click here for more snow & ice photos

Wordless Wednesday

Saturday morning 01/17/09...untouched

Selling Venues Series: Updates

I was heading over to ArtFire Monday to list a few items and found a new front page layout. For those who never saw or forgot what it used to look like click here. It's a nice change, not only visually appealing, but gives the visitor a better idea of what they can find inside.

Art Fire has also added a Market Hub for their sellers. It is already set up with sties, you just have to input your addresses. (click to enlarge)

It appears on each listing page in the lower right corner as seen here:




Crobbies has made a few changes since my last write up as well. I had inquired about a shop policy area...I was not sure if I was just missing something. Well, the next day they had added a section for shop policies. The response they have had to suggestions has been quick and so far, no problems with the additions. I also saw on Twitter that once their no fee special ends on Valentine's Day, the new fees will likely be zero for listing and 3% for sales.

click here for the FAQs on each selling venue

click here for the Art Fire sign up and listing post

click here for the Crobbies sign up and listing post