Art Life Newsblog

2012-01-25T01:23:00.000-05:00

Mass Hysteria; Stop the Bans...Virginia Follows Florida's Lead

As if the Python Ban in Florida isn't bad enough now Virginia has followed suit! HB 1242 Takes SB 477 even further and bans a whole laudry list of animals considered "exotics", and it strictly regulates even the temporary moving of animals through the state.

The Ball-Pythons.net forum lists the legislators who are introducing this bill and those on the committee it is slated to be heard in; Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources.

In addition to many types of snakes, this list includes, primates (except for humans, LOL), wolves, african wild dogs, elephants, bears, Aligators, crocodiles, caimans, gharials, all cats except domestic and hybrid domestic.

If it weren't so crazy I'd think it was a joke! Now come on; how many people are really going to keep most of those animals in a state like Virginia!

I think this was probably done because the state doesn't think the Federal ban coming from the situation in Florida is going to get shot down eventually.

I watched President Obama's State of The Union Address tonight and from what I could glean it doesn't look like he supports such bans. In his speech tonight he clearly stated that there are some things government should not regulate (those issues citizens can handle themselves), and he made a point of saying that he did not support standing in the way of "American ingenuity". I certainly interpret that to mean that he would not go along with these kinds of blanket bans.

He clearly is in favor of businesses that provide jobs, income, and bring money into the US from other countries, and the reptile industry does bring in alot of revenue.

For the most part breeders in this industry aren't in it purely for profit. They do care about preventing these animals from escaping, and they do alot of education on how to take proper care of them.

Prohibition never works, and it is not a solution to the world's problems.

Even if you don't have pet reptiles this trend to ban more and more species should bother you if you own any pets because then where does it end? Where will they draw the line if legislators begin to see this as the way to handle animals they fear and don't identify with.

It seems a mass panic is sweeping the country. Please pass this information on and get involved by writing, calling, and speaking to elected officials.

2012-01-21T01:59:00.002-05:00

Follow-up Letter To Legislators Opposing Python Ban

The other day I wrote my legislators about SOPA and PIPA, and tonight I sent a letter to President Obama and my Representative and Senators and signed a petition to oppose the Python ban. This is my letter;

January 21, 2012

Dear President Obama:

Dear Representative Johnson:

Dear Senator Chambliss:

Dear Senator Isakson:

I am an animal lover and it has long been a dream of mine since I was a child to have pet snakes. Finally after doing alot of reading up and talking to experts I am ready to realize that dream and now I find out that it may just be a matter of time before I lose that opportunity because several of the constrictors are being legislated against, and I hear that still others (including the one I want) are on the chopping block yet to come.

The reptile industry is a needed American Industry for which there is a huge market. It has developed and grown exponentially over the past two decades and most breeders promote responsible pet ownership through public education and one-on-one support. There are many working in that field who depend on it to feed their families. Restricting interstate stransport of their "product" will only result in putting these people out of business and placing them in debt as well as ultimately adding to the National debt.

The reptile industry creates jobs and employs and provides the necessary income to many people by serving people like me, and it contributes to our national economy, important functions which are about to be put in jeopardy. I want you to be aware of the potential impact this bad precedent will have because it strikes at the ability of Americans to maintain their jobs, family life, and this industry's contributions to our American education, enjoyment, and work ethic.

I suspect you have been approached by special interest groups that would like to end animal ownership and kill the industry that supports it by pushing enactment of the Constrictor Rule as proposed by US Fish & Wildlife Service. This rule making has failed at every turn to make the case that 9 constricting snakes should be added to the Injurious Wildlife list of the Lacey Act. The science is questionable and Fish & Wildlife has failed to do a cost benefit analysis. The rule has been pushed along by mid level bureaucrats with no regard for information quality or due process. If enacted this rule would put more than 1 million Americans in jeopardy of becoming Lacey Act felons.

The Constrictor Rule, if passed will be the beginning of the end of such industry. This rule will not solve the problem that is its purported purpose (protecting the Everglades from Invasive snakes). It will hurt American business and my family. The alleged science being used to justify the rule has been called out as biased and fatally flawed by scientists from around the country, including; University of Florida, Texas A&M and the National Geographic Society. The rule was so poorly constructed that it was recently the subject of a hearing conducted by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee examining this rule as an extreme example of government overreach negatively impacting a $1.4 billion cottage industry.

It looks very suspicious that the rule says it prohibits importing but not exporting. That tells me what's really behind it is more about the fear of breeders outsourcing to obtain their breeding stock thus sending American money overseas to the snakes' countries of origin. The initiators of this rule clearly have a hidden agenda. Any such fear is an overreaction because enough of these snakes exist in the US for breeders to obtain them from other breeders here (if allowed to ship across state lines), but such a rule would make doing so difficult if not impossible. In addition, people wanting a pet snake may not be able to obtain them in our own state, so would be unable to get one. I live in Georgia and do not know of any local snake breeders, for instance.

You yourself own a pet and I'm sure you believe vehemently in your right to keep it, so I hope you will instantly identify with my position. In these uncertain times pets of many kinds bring many of us comfort when little else does. Please make certain that I and millions of Americans can get back to work free from fear of the consequences of the Constrictor Rule.

I know that you will want to do the right thing not wasting government time and money on unecessary new laws that only restrict Americans' persuit of happiness so that our government can attend to more pressing national and international matters.

President Obama please ask the Office of Management & Budget to reverse this rule due to the failure of Fish & Wildlife to adhere to mandated guidelines and procedures required for a rule making. Policy should be based on facts and science, not opinion or partiality. This rule is in violation of at least three of your own executive orders. It is inappropriate on many levels and if passed it will reflect badly on you and your administration. Hold the writers of the rule to their stated agenda of sound science and be the voice of fairness and reason. Please stand up and refuse to let such bad decision-making stand.

The Constrictor Rule is a prejudicial, economically damaging, and ineffective. It is very similar to the bans proposed by certain states and other municipalities targeting Pit Bulls "breed-specific legislation".

This is not the way to solve the problem in the Everglades. Thousands of innocent snakes and those who keep them should not be penalized for a few errant ones that are on the loose.

Instead of making this a Federal rule/law this should be treated as a Florida problem and remedies designed only for those particular problem animals such as spaying and neutering those feral snakes to prevent their reproduction/any risk of overpopulation. This should not involve restricting the whole country from breeding, shipping, or owning these species as pets.

In addition, all stakeholders should be included in designing the solution to the problem in the Everglades; not just those who drafted this legislation. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Pippit Carlington

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If you are an animal lover please let your voice be heard, sign the petition, and send a letter of your own by clicking on the badge in the sidebar of this blog. That will take you directly to the site through which you can contact your political officials.

You can also sign this Whitehouse petition;

https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/%21/petition/overturn-python-ban/4wGFbc4Y

25,000 signatures are needed by February 17th in order to get the job done!

2012-01-19T20:34:00.003-05:00

Extreme Legislation Threatens Individual Freedoms

This week has been one of great uncertainty with 3 new bills looming which would significantly limit some of the freedoms US citizens have enjoyed for a long time.

In the misguided knee-jerk attempt to prevent the perceived peril to human life and liberty these 3 bills actually cause or worsen that which they seek to prevent.

The first two are SOPA; the Stop Online Piracy Act (House Bill 326) introduced on October 26, 2011 by Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) and PIPA; Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011 (Senate Bill 968) introduced on May 12, 2011 by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), proposed to address internet piracy and intellectual property violations, the driving force coming from the film industry, led by 20th Century Fox's Rupert Murdoch, The Motion Picture Association of America and NBC Universal. Edward Sheperd, a guest writer for About.com points out that the intended target of these was originally overseas sites making a profit from US copyrighted merchandise, but that the impications could even impact bloggers in that it could require them to adhere to impossible requirements.

Unfortunately the nebulous wording of the bill draws in alot more than just those committing true internet piracy and copyright infringement. It could block customer access to selling sites such as Etsy, Ebay, and others if the government even suspects anything of that sort is going on, and umbrella sites which house alot of small businesses could be unfairly targetted without due process or recourse. The effect on the small business/microbusiness owner such as an artist could be catastrophic if he or she relys on that income for a necessary part of their income with which to make ends meet.

Such websites should be doing everything they can on their end to get rid of those businesses from their website who are infringing on intellectual property, but on a large umbrella site it is virtually impossible to clean that up completely, and it wouldn't be fair to the rest of us honest proprietors creating original works for the government to come in and restrict customer traffic to us via a large umbrella site like Etsy because of the rogue actions of a few.

What is particulary concerning here aside from the obvious risk of lost future income is that although public protest may have slowed these bills down, it seems the proponants have not given up, that they come armed with bigger bazookas than all of the big internet players combined and that they are more united in their beliefs than are those on the side of internet commerce.

Microsoft for instance may have competing interests although it does tend to fall into the same category with Google and the rest of those who generally oppose these bills. It is just this lack of unified voice which is often the fatal flaw in any movement.

Says David Tere Schchuk of the Huffington Press "The digitally-based newcomers can no longer be seen as strangers to the lobbying game, especially not now with Facebook's most recent hires, Joel Kaplan and Myriah Jordan, both previously in George W. Bush's White House. And Facebook is joined by Google, Yahoo and Amazon in a representative grouping called NetCoalition, which has dug itself in well, now moving from North Capitol Street to the heart of lobbyville, K Street. Google itself is spending $6 million a year, now to be rocketing higher, we can be sure, on D.C. lobbying efforts in its own interests.

But all this pales compared with the amassed forces and sheer weight of dollar numbers brought into play when Hollywood, network television and the recoding industry all join forces, as they have over this issue.

Among the bills' industry supporters there's greater unity (and even richer lobbying clout) born out of having an overriding common interest -- i.e. profits -- to defend."

According to Adam Dachis of Lifehacker, President Obama has apparently tabled SOPA indefinitely, but January 24th is the date PIPA comes up for a Senate vote and so appears for at least the forseeable future to be the bigger imminent threat.

The internet blicking clauses were removed from both of the bills because a number of sites have workarounds to render such blocks useless, but "The other, still-active measure present in the SOPA and PIPA bills would allow rights holders to cut of the source of funding of any potentially infringing web site. This means any other companies doing business with this site would have to stop. Whether that means advertising, links in search engines, or any other listings would have to be removed."

According to Mercurious blog this funding clause would include restricting payment processing systems such as Paypal to any site the deem as being in violation (a vital service many artists rely on to recieve most online payments through as well as purchases made online).

That would in effect render any business (and and businesses it houses) defunct at least as far as their internet presences are concerned. Even though many artists also earn income from shows and brick and mortar stores, finding enough stores/galleries to replace the internet profitshare is not always feasible and shows' entry fees can be prohibitive for alot of artists.

One could theoretically start one's own website, but again, the cost of creating one and its ongoing maintenance is not always a realistic option for many artists.

It is anybody's guess how all this will turn out once details are reviewed and adjusted or thrown out, but it is not something to assume others will handle. Every voice counts. I contacted my Representative at the Federal level yesterday in opposition of these bills and hope every one of you will do the same. (I'll leave a link at the end of this post so that you can easily contact the powers that be).

As this these two assaults on our personal freedom aren't enough, now there is a snake ban; a re-make of (Senate Bill 373) originally sponsored by Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL). It has failed to be passed for the past 3 years but has now been re-worked and presented again, much to the dismay of many who love these species. If you would like to tell him how you feel on this issue here is where you can call.

Phone: 202-224-5274

Fax: 202-228-2183

(Source; Pacific Northwest Herpetological Society ) regarding the banning several types of Pythons from crossing state lines (those of you who have kept informed on all the breed specific legislations levied against Pit Bulls will be painfully familiar with this sort of thing already).

The current version is HR2811 is referred to as the Lacey Act, and the Committee on the Judiciary, The Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism & Homeland Security claim they have "research" proving that these 9 constrictors; pythons, boas, and anacondas pose a danger to humans and to the ecosystem.

Posted on the above herpetological forum is a letter written by several experts disputing the legitimacy of the research on which the act is based. Apparently the study was not peer reviewed and departs from a number of best practices required in good sound research. They make some very good points that should really make people think twice about whether this is such a good move!

I am primarily a dog person but have always had a special place in my heart for reptiles and have in recent months been gaining an increasing interest in snakes. I would like to get a pair of Ball Pythons and have been liesurely looking around planning to take my time and really do my homework in choosing just the right ones, but this bill is disturbing in that its introducers appear to be starting with just a few species as a means to gain a foothold in order to ban more and more species in the future. I may have to get my Ball Pythons alot sooner (while I still can), as I do not know of any breeders in the Atlanta area or even anywhere in Georgia.

I don't like the precedent this bill is setting because its stated purpose (to address the growing problem of non-native species loose in the everglades) is not the only affect it would have and there looks to be deeper hidden agendas inherent in its inception that will only hurt related industry jobs and the enjoyment of these beautiful animals. I can't help but think that some of these hidden agendas are connected to the panic about outsourcing and money leaving the US (because Pythons generally originate from other countries) because the wording prohibits interstate transfer, breeding, and "importing" but not "exporting". It could be that some in Congress feel that American snake breeders are draining American money by purchasing breeding stock from these originating countries. Even so, such worries are probably unfounded because these species have been here in captivity long enough that there are plenty of US sources now from which breeders can obtain their breeding stock.

Apparently Interior Secretary Ken Salizar achieved this ban in sort of a backdoor way bypassing the need for the usual due legislative process;

"By enacting a rule and declaring the snakes “injurious,” Salazar bypassed the need for congressional approval of a ban. It goes into effect in 60 days and does not affect current snake owners.

Read more: http://www.cbs12.com/articles/snakes-4738118-everglades-banned.html#ixzz1jxE52Zf4

CNN U.S Kim Segal reports that the species currently covered by the ban are the following species;

Burmese Python
Northern Python
Southern Python
Yellow Anaconda

While some Parks and Wildlife people are in favor of this ban, I think they fail to see that it misses the mark and is based on alot of faulty assumptions.

A much better approach to the problems in the Everglades would be for everyone to work together to solve those specific issues (in Florida). Breeders and snake enthusiasts should not be left out of the decision-making process. This is not a Federal problem and should not be treated as such, yet since those who have introduced this ban have now "gone there" it has pulled the rest of the country into it and made it our business.

The focus should be on capturing the loose snakes in the Everglades and/or possibly spaying/neutering them to prevent them from reproducing out of control. That would be a much better solution than resorting to this buckshot approach of an overall ban on those species, because the problem is not with the ones in captivity.

As a pet owner I see the far reaching ramifications of this type of extreme legislation. It is like using a sledgehammer when a scalpel would do and it causes way too much collateral damage.

Even if you don't like snakes or are disinterested in them people should have the right to keep them responsibly just as they would other animals. We cannot allow fear to dictate laws in this country. If we do then we run the risk that any of our favorite pets might one day be deemed illegal and that would be a tragic day in America.

To write your Representative in Congress about either or both of these issues go here;

Write Your Representative Now!

2012-01-01T01:48:00.005-05:00

Look What My Customers Have Created with Items from GiftbearerSupply !

The New Year is the perfect time to feature some of the work created by some of those who have purchased from my Etsy supply shop! I hope these will inspire you and give you some examples of how these supplies can be incorporated, and for those of you who don't make your own, maybe you can find some finished items in these shops that you can use and wear!

Clear Sugar QuartzCluster Organic Copper Winter Fashion (6.5-7)

(SOLD on December 29th, 2011)

Samantha Pirok; PIROK
used one of my clear quartz crystals in a one of a kind ring she electroplated and patinaed. (As you will see it promptly sold). Her work has a very ancient feel to it, like buried treasure, full of texture and rich in color and shape. In her shop you will find many natural stones set in custom settings designed to mold around these unworked rough gems.

Tudy Smith created this medicine bag OOAK Anasazi Pottery Shard Medicine Bag or Cell Phone Case Neck Pouch Ancient Ones using one of the ancient Anasazi pottery shards that are sold in my shop to embellish the front. She opted to continue the pattern from the shard on the front of the bag below the flap on which it has been attached in a striking diagonal design. It is currently for sale in her Etsy shop for $32.00 and along with many other beautiful medicine/possibles bags, knife sheaths, and art pieces would make a wonderful gift for somebody special or for you to wear and/or keep meaningful items in. See more of her tribal inspired pieces here;

MissTudy

Citrine & Black Onyx Crystal Necklace - "Lemon Fizz"From SunnyCrystals

$25.00

Dalmatian Jasper & Black Onyx Crystal Necklace - "101 Magic Moments"

$35.00

Susan Mayoux of SunnyCrystals created these two necklaces above using these silver-plated ball headpins from my shop. In addition to finished jewelry Sue also carries handcrafted greeting cards and tumbled gemstones.

Purchase supplies from me, send me a convo with a picture of your finished piece made with my supplies, and you might get a feature too!

Thanks all and have a very happy and prosperous New Year!

Giftbearer

and

GiftbearerSupply

2011-11-29T01:05:00.001-05:00

Dog Brings Possom Into The House

My dog, Carmella is the ultimate exterminator. She catches squirrels, bugs, birds, and tonight when I let her outside in the backyard and left the door open for a few minutes I heard her come in and go back out again. I decided to go back and close the door because it was getting cold in the house. The light in that room was off but I saw something on the floor that looked at first like a towel. Thinking that Carmella had taken something out of the laundry hamper I turned on the light and walked over to pick it up when I saw that it was not a towel at all but instead it had a snout, eyes, ears, and a tail! Upon close inspection I saw that it was a Possom. Its tail had a bit of blood on it and so I looked carefully to see if it was dead or just pretending to be.

It was breathing, so I knew it must be playing dead, and as I stood there a little while its eyes began to follow me and it moved its ears slightly. This is the second one Carmella has caught and tried to bring me. There was another about one year ago that she'd dropped on the back porch.

Tomorrow I finally have someone coming to address the squirrels in my sophets that have been chewing ravenously at the wood interior, so I guess this is the best time to have found this Possom. Maybe he can take it to a rehabber on his way out tomorrow and it can be re-located somewhere way out in the country.

I scooped it into Carmella's old carrier that she's grown out of, keeping my hands far away from its mouth and closed the latch on the gate as quickly as possible. It looked at me warily, opening its mouth slightly. It has a set of needle-sharp teeth, so I didn't want to leave it outside where Carmella or another dog or person could potentially get bitten, or for it to make its nest and start breeding in my attic.

It will be interesting to see what shows up over the next few days when the Atlanta Squirrel Removal company starts their trapping. I wonder whether I got the only one tonight or whether there are more Possoms in or around the house in hiding.

2011-11-26T21:11:00.004-05:00

Animal Planet Donates Money To Villalobos Pit Bull Rescue Facility for Each Person Who Watches the show Pit Bulls and Parolees tonight at 10:00 PM EST

The reality show Pit Bulls and Parolees features Tia and her kennel staff of parolees located on 10 acres of land in the foothills of California, and a group of approximately 150 Pit Bulls rescued from all types of adverse circumstances, all in need of loving homes.

Villalobos is the largest facility of its kind in the world and its operation requires $600-$800/day to feed, house, and care for its residents. It goes through 2100 Lbs of dog food a week, and adopts out approximately 5 dogs per week to new homes! The dogs they rescue include former fighting dogs and other abused and/or neglected dogs from a variety of places. At the sanctuary all are spayed, neutered, and given love, training, and the veterinary care they need.

The vet bills alone average $30,000.00, and the monthly operating costs have increased to $15,000

The center is closed to the public except for Saturdays, but welcomes potential adopters. Those interested in adopting one of their Pit Bulls are asked to call for an appointment before coming though. Their phone number is (661) 268-0555. An e-mail form is available on their site;
http://www.vrcpitbull.com/dog/

They also have a live stream here on their Facebook page;
http://www.facebook.com/VillalobosRescueCenter?sk=app_142371818162

Although there are a number of Pit Bull rescues out there this one is particularly unique in that it has the dual purpose of offering opportunities for employment to people with a criminal record who otherwise would have a hard time finding jobs. Thus, while these parolees are being rehabilitated so are the dogs, and this meets an important need in the community. Through the exposure the television show has garnered the parolees and dogs are offered a unique chance to build back the public's trust, and go on to live happy and productive lives.

The parollees' rehab program is called The Underdawgz Inc.

Very soon tonight Animal Planet will be airing a special episode which will act as a benefit for Villalobos, partnering with ROAR; for each person tonight who watches the show Pit Bulls and Parollees Animal Planet will give a donation to the Pit Bull rescue.

So if you love Pit Bulls, or dogs in general, get your family and friends together, post this on your facebook page, tweet it, and get as many people to watch as possible, and if you can't be there at that time set your TV to tape the show. That counts too!

I know Carmella and I will be watching tonight's episode!

I will leave you with this very moving video;
http://www.youtube.com/user/vrcpitbull#p/u/9/60bA5jiPQYQ

2011-10-19T08:19:00.005-04:00

Dog Saves Woman from Rabid Squirrel

Sometime between 5 and 5:30 PM yesterday I heard Carmella barking and clawing at the kitchen window which leads to the back porch. I knew that neighborhood dogs sometimes passed through on either side of my house but this didn't seem like something just passing through, as she continued to bark and claw at the window sill for over 10 minutes, so I came in to see what was out there. I looked out the windows in the back door next to the kitchen and saw a squirrel latched onto the screen on the outside of the wooden framework of the porch. It was making quite a fuss, and strangely did not make a move to run when it saw me just a few feet away. In fact it strained forward on the screen as if to meet the potential threat of a larger predator head-on, riveted to my every move. A former roommate's dogs had torn out the screen from the panel just below but it clung there right where it was, the only thing preventing it from hurling itself in my direction; that it didn't seem to see the open area just beneath. Despite the barrier it just kept making these staccato raspy chirps, the kind squirrels make to other squirrels to challenge another, and staring me down. I have had a problem with squirrels chewing through my fascia boards at the perimeter of my roof overhang for some time now and now hear them gnawing on the wood for hours every day for the past few months, and this must have been one that had been making its home inside my overhang and just popped out one of the holes.

I thought maybe if I got a little closer and scared it off with a stick it would dissapear into the woods, but no such luck. It just seemed more intent on me and Carmella. I let Carmella out to scare it off and rather than going the other way and making its easiest escape up any number of trees it scurried horizontally across the the screen, then turned upside down, head first, and jumped onto the back porch floor and ran straight at me! People think of squirrels as benevolent, innocent, sweet little harmless creatures, but not this one! This monster had come straight from the bowels of hell! It was the stuff that nightmares and horror movies are made of.

I yelled for Carmella to get it and she ran to my side and intercepted it just as it was a few inches from my left foot. That's when I knew for sure it had to be rabid because as she snapped it up it was snarling like an angry cat, as if it really thought it could take Carmella on, unaware of their difference in size. Lucky for Carmella she is up to date on her rabies shot. I wouldn't have been so lucky if I'd been attacked since humans are not vaccinated for rabies. At first snap, Carmella took half its tail clean off and then grabbed hold of the middle of its body. It seemed crazed, almost posessed. Normally Carmella's strong jaws killed a squirrel in just two bites but this one seemed to keep going and going. If she didn't kill it the backyard wouldn't be a safe place for either of us to walk in. A few more bites from Carmella's powerful jaws while shaking it violently and it finally was dead.

Despite all its carrying on it had not bitten Carmella. Carmella had been quicker, Thank God. There may be more rabid squirrels as the disease can spread from one animal to another and I heard one this morning at 6 AM again chewing on the corner of my house, so today I am going to see if I can find out who to report the animal I saw to. There are children living in the neighborhood, so I don't want any more of these to endanger the people on this street.

Thanks to Carmella, I avoided a trip to the ER and a painful rabies series. She amazes me with her loyalty and protection every day and I consider her a hero. But I think if you were able to ask her she'd tell you that's just what friends/family do. They are there with you when threats cross your path, right in there with you to fight that which could be your undoing in one form or another. If not for her I don't know what I would have done.

Giftbearer

GiftbearerSupply

2011-09-19T03:01:00.003-04:00

Day 7 of Carmella's Snake Bite Recovery, and Day 1 of EvoraPet Oral Probiotic

Carmella's skin color is getting better each day and the scab on her toe is healing. She still wants to sleep alot but when I take her outside she bounds around like she usually does and no longer avoids putting weight on the leg that was bitten by the snakes.

As you can see below, the bruise on her stomach is gradually shrinking in size and the edges are more defined.

The medications are doing their job. The only thing I notice out of the ordinary is that she's peeing alot more and more frequently than she usually does, and I'm not sure whether she's always aware of when she has to go. She slept on my bed agan for most of the day and when I left the room for just a few minutes to go to the kitchen I thought she had gone back to sleep but when I came back she was still on the bed but I saw a big puddle on my rug. Carmella looked at me guiltily and jumped down to leave the room. She has been housebroken for a long time and usually whines when she has to go to the bathroom. I don't know if the urge came on suddenly this time or what was wrong but she can usually hold it long enough for me to get her out the door in plenty of time.

I had to use a big towel on the rug and then spray some enzyme on it so that my room wouldn't stink. The enzyme is left to air dry over a 24 hour period while it dissolves the urine and any bacteria in it. It's a good thing I had almost a full bottle left because I've rarely had to use it. If any of you have puppies this stuff is good to have on hand and works better than bleach, Pine Sol, or most other commercial cleaners/disinfectants because it gets right to the root of the odor rather than covering it up or using potentially toxic chemicals. Most brands of enzyme are biodegradeable and just dissipate once they've done what they're designed to do. You can ask for it at just about any pet supply store.

Well, speaking of pet products, I put a scoop of that EvoraPet on Carmella's food tonight. The company says it's tasteless but she managed to weed the majority of it out and shove that part of her food aside after eating the rest. They must have forgotten that a dog's sense of smell is way stronger than ours! I had worried that might happened and wondered how one could be sure the animal got the full dose that way.

Luckily Carmella can't resist the juice that seperates from yogurt and I had some in the refrigerator, so I poured that over the pieces of dog food she'd refused and the flavor of that disguised the flavor or smell of the probiotic powder and then she licked the bowl clean of every last particle.

Before her first dose I took pictures of some of her teeth so that I can do comparisons over the next few weeks. Her teeth are fairly white but she does tend to get tartar around the gumline, especially around her molars. I think this is due to her strangely proportioned head which is about half as long as it should be for her size, and her teeth are set way back into her head. Although she chews on bones and dog biscuits daily those molars are too far back for these to scrape off the plaque, and it's next to impossible to stick a toothbrush back that far. Her molars nearly reach the back of her throat! When you open her mouth wide enough to see it kind of looks like the jaws of an alligator except that her snout is not proportionally as long.

Photographing her teeth with one hand while keeping her mouth open (and still) with the other was hard to do but I got a few really good shots. You can see that she has some yellow in the grooves of her molars that are hardest to reach. Probably being on antibiotics for the Copperhead bites has actually already helped her breath because I could stand to get near her mouth which I can't do when it's at its worst, but the yellow areas in her teeth will serve as a good baseline, and it's possible that her breath will be even better once she's been on this a little while. Her mouth is still rather slimy (which it isn't after her teeth have recently been cleaned) so if that goes away that is likely an indication it's working also.

Left upper molar

I'm not sure whether the little black dot in this molar on the upper left side is a cavity or some sort of particle.

Left lower molar

Right side upper molars and lower teeth (Close-up)

Right upper molars and lower teeth

Upper right Canines and Bicuspids

The teeth closer to the front of Carmella's mouth have less visible plaque. There's only a little bit right at the gumline. Her chewing of bones and dog treats has definitely prevented alot of it from forming on these teeth.

Cuspids and Left Side Canine (Upper)

I'll take more photos of her teeth periodically to compare with these.

Here are a few cute shots I took of her in the kitchen today.

Carmella licking her healing foot

Carmella playing with big bone

Carmella walking and turning around

Carmella with front foot tucked under chest and ears at attention

In the morning the man from Rid-a-Critter is coming to look around for any possible snake dens and I hope, will be able to tell me if there are snakes living on the property. Maybe he can let me know the best methods for keeping them from using my backyard as a hiding place or throughway so that Carmella will be safe to go out there without being bitten again. I took her out on the leash tonight and since it was too dark for me to see what was on the ground I didn't go very far from the driveway or let her get close to any bushes or high foliage of other types. She kept wanting to go into the back yard and seemed to hear something back there. I don't know what it was but was too leery to go look since it was around the same time of night that she was bitten. There's no telling what ghastly things might have been creeping (or slithering) around in the dark. (Cue spooky music).

Despite the fact that snakes can be pretty bad-tempered and defensive I think they are nonetheless beautiful animals. I've even got a few wearable snakes available for purchase in my jewelry shop on Etsy. These make wonderful gifts! Click on the photos for more details on each piece.

Sterling Silver Snake Bracelet with Genuine Emerald Eyes (Strong Medicine)

Abstract Snakes Intertwined Ring - Argentium Sterling and Fine Silver

2011-09-18T01:00:00.003-04:00

Snake-bitten Dog, Carmella, The Healing Continues

Carmella rested comfortably on my bed most of the day while I read, and took care of some Etsy business and then it was time for her dinner. She ate most of her food but still is a little reserved and her stomach isn't back to normal 100% just yet so she left a little in her bowl. She still has diarrhea, and is peeing alot more than she usually does. On her walk tonight she must have gone 4 times and I don't mean a little bit each time; but more like 4 bladders-ful! Hopefully that is a good thing and means she's getting rid of excess fluid. The vet did say she might have blood in her urine and that was normal; a way of flushing fluid and dead blood cells out.

Luckily her hind leg looks less purple today. The rest seems to be paying off. I think I see hair growing back where they shaved her too. I removed the bandage on her front leg this morning where they had had the IV. Both front legs have patches of hair missing. The left from the IV they gave her at the emergency clinic, and the right from that given at Dr. Norwood's office. There's some bruising on the left "forearm" leg.

It is encouraging that the color seems to be returning to normal in the leg that was bitten by the Copperheads, so maybe she'll be lucky and not have any necrosis. That odd dark vein is still visible though.

After dinner Carmella stretched out on the floor in the kitchen, chewed on one of her steak bones, then sacked out again to sleep some more.

I think the whole ordeal has made her exhausted. I have been pretty tired myself, so I can imagine how tired she must be after the assault upon her body.

Today I received a product I ha ordered earlier this month that is a newly developed probiotic for her breath called EvoraPet.

I first heard about EvoraPet on a TV infomercial. There are alot of products on TV that I don't order because they seem kind of iffy, but this one seemed plausible, so I took a look at their website; http://evorapet.com/ and read more about it and looked to see what people were posting about it, then also did some searching in other places online. Somebody was even giving away a box on their blog Is There A Bathroom on This Ship. I signed up but didn't win. Most reviews were favorable and I did not find any reports of negative side effects. For further information go to http://www.oragenics.com/
They have two 800 numbers; (866) 998-9935 and (877) 803-2624 Ext. 251

It only costs $14.95 plus shipping for a 60 day supply (for a limited time; usually that price is for just 30 days' supply), and since Carmella seems to be prone to bad breath I decided to give it a try. It's most likely better than having to rub her teeth and gums with anti-plaque mouthwash every few days (which only works temporarily). Most people seemed to notice an improvement in their dog or cat's breath and whiter teeth in anywhere from a few days to a month.

The beneficial bacteria used in this mixture is supposed to be specifically to balance mouth bacteria unlike those longer-known vaieties that work on the digstive tract.

Inside the container is a small scoop and yellowish sort of pale peach-colored powder. The directions say to take that pre-measured dosage and then sprinkle it on the dog's (or cat's) food once a day. The beneficial bacteria act the same way in this same dosage for any size animal, and start to crowd out the potentially harmful bacteria that cause bad breath, dental problems, or gum disease. It will be very interesting to see whether it really does work as well as it claims. If so then it will be very helpful to my readers who have dogs and/or cats. If it is effective it sure beats having Carmella's teeth cleaned every year. Last year I had that done and it was expensive and with all the other medical expenses I'm struggling to pay off for Carmella's medical care it would be nice to find an alternative that is cheaper, works just as well, and doesn't requre that she go under general anesthesia!

Tomorrow night I will give this to her at dinner, and will keep you posted over the next few weeks on how it goes and if/when I notice any improvement. As a control, I'll take pictures of her teeth tomorrow for comparison. They don't look too bad currently but might have some yellowing in some areas. Her breath right now is not the worst its been but it's not great and if she breathes on me it definitely stinks!

If you would like to help Carmella, this adorable special needs dog please consider starting your holiday shopping in my Etsy jewelry shop; Giftbearer and for jewelry or craft supplies; GiftbearerSupply , use the donation button at the top righthand side, or purchase a little banner ad on my blog where it says "Are you in my Top Spots", through Scratchback. Thanks for your support of my work and of Carmella.

2011-09-17T05:13:00.000-04:00

Carmella Comes Home!

Carmella is home and feeling much better. Her leg is purple but the swelling is not near as bad as before. It looks as though the snake venom went all the way up her thigh to her stomach.

She still has loose stools but is eating again and drinking plenty of water, and she has much more energy although actually seems calmer than she usually is, content to lounge around on my bed. She has jumped up to listen to something outside the window once or twice but doesn't seem on pins and needles at every sound as she usually is.

She spent some time in the kitchen earlier this evening chewing on a bone and I can tell that she knows the worst is over. The purple bandage on her right front leg is where they had the IV. That bandage can come off tomorrow.

I don't know how long it will take for all thr bruising to go away, but the vet wants to check her again in a week.

I noticed that a vein or artery is showing very dark through her skin on her inner thigh. It's visible in the picture above.

The company that was supposed to come out yesterday to look for the snakes is coming on Monday instead because the man who was assigned got tied up removing bats from a elderly woman's house on Thursday. I had hoped he could have the nesting areas identified before Carmella came home. So far I have not seen any when I've looked around myelf but they could be somewhere I can't see like the big burrow underneath the width of the back porch that some other animal made. Just in case, I am keeping a close eye on her and taking her out on the leash until the guy comes to inspect.

Carmella will be on 4 medications every 12 hours for awhile;
* Prednisone (20mgs)

* Ciprofloxacin (250 mgs.; 1/2 tablet (125mg. every 12 hours)

* Cephalexin (500 mgs.; 2 Tablets every 12 hours)

* Metronidazole (500 mgs. every 12 hours)

Eek! After the emergency visit Monday night and treatment overnight for 3 days at her regular vet's, the bill is somewhere around $1,500 already. I was just beginning to make a dent in her previous medical bills when this emergency happened.

If you would like to help her there are several ways to do that;

* Purchase one of the ad spots through Scratchback on my blog in the sidebar

* Use the Donate To Carmella button at the top; donate via Paypal

* Purchase Jewelry from Giftbearer

* Purchase jewelry supplies/craft supplies from GiftbearerSupply

The holidays are coming up and I have lots of variety in both Etsy online shops to choose from be it a piece of finished jewelry or something to help you create finished jewelry or other crafts. I make a point of offering alot of one of a kind and limited stock items.

I found this video on YouTube that might be helpful to those of you who have animals. It is the season for these venomous snakes to be restless and with the weather changing these seem to be more on edge and more likely to bite.

The dog in the first video was bitten by a rattlesnake, not a copperhead, but the clip is interesting also because apparently someone has developed a vaccine to help protect dogs from these bites.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fs79gprUiao

The dogs n these videos below were bitten by a copperheads;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XxKQpiY8VQ

http://www.youtube.com/user/AnimalMedicalHosp?blend=14&ob=5#p/u/0/oHw2FtVxGYg

There is a product I found out about that is supposed to repel snakes from your yard called Snake Away;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1kV6RY5HSw&feature=related

Here's another;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CDGhgkGSU4&feature=related

I don't know whether these work or not but they might.

Some people claim that moth balls repel snakes but I can't stand the smell of moth balls!

I found this video on snake repellents which says the strong smell in some of these confuses the snakes;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4O9AU_fjpsg&feature=related

http://www.foxlabs.com/ makes one that is supposed to be eco-friendly and safe for humans and pets.

Carmella has been sleeping soundly tonight while I've been on the computer and researching on Youtube.

I'll continue to keep you posted on her recovery.

2011-09-14T19:28:00.001-04:00

Carmella's Snake Bite Update

One of the vet techs at Dr. Norwood's office called me back to let me know that Carmella is doing better today. She said she was glad to see her alive when she came into work today and that it was a good thing that the bites were as far as possible from her heart. She has much more energy today and was able to get up to go to the bathroom outside.

Her inner thigh is all black because of bruising but so far no flesh has fallen off. The swelling has gone down almost to normal after the Prednisone they gave her.

She is not eating though and has diarrhea so they are going to try to feed her by hand with some special high nutrient food. They think maybe the poison from the snakes could be affecting her digestive tract.

This dog truly has nine lives!

Tomorrow a company called Rid-a-Critter which offers a free assessment is sending out somebody to look at the yard and see if they can find any snakes or identify what holes they might be using. The woman on the phone told me that this time of year they may not even stay in dens if they do have them and they are on the move so there's no guarantee they'll still be here when they look and they might have just been passing through. I hope there is something they can do which will prevent them from coming into the yard so Carmella will be safe and it won't happen again. Maybe they can also address my squirrel problem. They have been gnawing the wood near the roof of my house at odd hours of the morning and night.

I need to make alot more sales this month because although the pet insurance should cover a good bit of the recent vet bills it could take awhile to be reimbursed and it doesn't cover it all.

Currently I'm working on a new Budding Vine bracelet and a few other pieces but with all the stuff related to this emergency that needs doing I literally haven't had time to work on much.

I miss Carmella and look forward to when she comes home; if all goes well, before the weekend.

2011-09-14T03:20:00.003-04:00

Carmella is Bitten by Nest of Copperheads

Monday night I let Carmella out in the back yard as I usually do before turning in for the night so that she could go to the bathroom. She was out there for about 15 minutes and had not come back to the door yet, so I called her to see if she was finished. She came to the back door a little more slowly than usual. Anybody who knows Carmella knows she never does anything slowly, and usually runs back inside at top speed.

As she entered the livingroom I noticed she was limping and upon closer inspection I saw that her back leg was very swollen, so much that the dewclaw on that leg stuck out. Her leg looked blown up like a balloon animal. At first I thought she had broken it, but then I saw two little puncture marks starting to bleed a few inches above the paw on the side of her leg and that's when I realized it must have been a snake bite.

Within about 10 minutes her paw was also bleeding. It was about 11:00 PM and Carmella's regular vet's office was closed. The only option was to take her to the one emergency vet in Dekalb County, and since I don't have a car and couldn't think of anybody to call at that late hour, I called the emergency clinic to confirm that I should bring her in, then called a taxi. I never know how long it will take to get a taxi late at night but think the fact that it was a week day worked to my advantage. Had it been on the weekend it might have taken alot longer for one to arrive.

Even so, it probably took about a half-hour and by that time Carmella was bleeding all over the kitchen floor and was starting to pant and whimper. What was coming out was more plasma than blood and it was fairly sticky. I was worried that she might collapse before a cab showed up so I called the emergency clinic back to see if they knew of any vet that made house-calls just in case things got critical and we didn't have time to get there.

The woman on the phone did locate the name of one vet but she wasn't sure if she worked late at night or not. I was hoping I wouldn't need to use that option and that we'd get to the clinic in time.

Carmella's leg was so painful I couldn't even wrap it in a T-shirt to keep dirt out of the wound.

We arrived at the emergency clinic and it seemed surprisingly quiet. There was just one dog in there other than Carmella, but it was a pretty lengthy process and after I'd filled out the paperwork Carmella and I waited for some time in a room before we finally saw the vet. Carmella was still in alot of pain and I finally had to go find someone to ask that they give her something for that. All I could think of was how the venom was still surging through her body out of control.

I think it took about 2 hours before she got any treatment after they'd prepared 3 different written quotes. Then they took her in the back area to clean the wounds, check to see how quickly her blood was clotting, give her pain medication, and some fluids under her skin.

She started whimpering when they shaved that hair on the leg where she had been bitten. The vet explained that it looked as though she had multiple bites between her toes as well as on her leg; some on both sides of the leg, and that most likely she had stepped in a nest of baby Copperheads because this is the time of year for them, and the babies tend to release all their venom unlike adults that only release a controlled amount. She said for that reason being bitten by baby snakes was worse.

Apparently there had been quite a few cases coming into the emergency clinic recently. Carmella fared better than smaller dogs because of the ratio of body weight to venom even though she probably had alot of venom in her. Even so, that was not a huge consolation because the full extent of the venom's effects would not be known until after a few days had passed. Among the risks are possible necrosis (tissue death), clotting problems, need for plasma transfusions, loss of function in the area bitten, and a whole host of other effects.

Neither human nor animal emergency departments use anti-venom for Copperheads much anymore because the side effects are almost worse than the venom. Pretty much all they can do is supportive care and hope for the best. There is no real way to prevent the effects of the venom and each dog reacts differently. Some recover completely without any necrosis, whereas others have some scarring, and still others may be severely impacted with big chunks of flesh falling off and need skin grafts to repair the damage.

The emergency clinic closes at 8:00 AM and since I knew we would need to go to Carmella's regular vet in the morning I figured it wasn't worth taking a cab back home and coming back at 8:00 to pivk her up and home again in another cab, as the faire was about $22.00 each way! I had this vet at the emergency clinic do what she could to get Carmella through the night safely and then planned to get a few hours of sleep before heading off to Dr. Norwood's office in the morning. Carmella was still in pain after she'd been given some medication and we got back home around 4 AM. She didn't want to lie down and was whimpering for the rest of the night, but finally I think we both got about 2 hours of sleep before Dr. Norwood's office opened.

When I woke up and it was quiet I tiptoed to the kitchen to check on her and make sure she was still breathing. She was but she seemed to be breathing more shallowly than usual. Knowing that somehow I was going to have to get her back into a taxi to go the the vet I slowly woke her although I hated to do that since while asleep was the only time she was not in pain. I got her to reluctantly drink a little yogurt juice (one of her favorite treats), and got the leash to try to give her time to go to the bathroom. Luckily she did get up and hobbled on three legs outside with me, peed, and came back inside. I took her out the front because I was pretty sure there wouldn't be any snakes out there near the driveway.

When I put her back inside I called the taxi and since it would be 15 minutes or so before we would be picked up I took a stick and went out the back way by myself to see if I could find where the snakes were living or whether I could find any dead snakes. I looked at nearly every corner of the yard except a pile of sticks and the outer edge near the fence on the opposite side, but saw no trace of them. Knowing Carmella I wouldn't be surprised if she ate them after they bit her. She has a strong predatory instinct and I have seen her kill small animals in about two bites and then quickly wolf them down before anyone could get them away from her; even squirrels, birds, and possoms.

I may need to find an expert to locate the den and remove them if she did not kill/eat them because I'm concerned it might happen again. It's worrisome that they may not be gone. There are a few holes in the yard; one big one under the house, and smaller ones in a few other areas of the yard where they could be hiding.

When we arrived at Dr. Norwood's office I couldn't get her to get out of the car, so the male vet tech who works there had to come out and carry her into the office. We went into a room right away and it wasn't long before several staff were in there and then Dr. Norwood came in to take a look at her.

He was very concerned; more so even than the emergency vet, and he said he thought it would be a good idea to hospitalize her and treat her aggressively with intrvenous fluids, antibotics, and prednisone. I'm not a big fan of prednisone but probably short-term it won't do Carmella any harm and it might get the swelling down more quickly. The swelling in her leg really looks extreme. If it got any worse I'd worry it would burst, and that wouldn't be good at all.

Dr. Norwood reiterated what the other vet had said about what could happen over the next few days and said that if she ends up needing a plasma transfusion they will have to take her to the emergency clinic at night to have that done because his clinic doesn't generally keep plasma on hand. It's a small office and doesn't have as many medical supplies as the larger vet's offices in town. I also recommended calling Dr. Muller at Briarcliff Animal Clinic if that ended up being necessary. That way maybe they could give or sell Dr. Norwood the plasma to take back to his office and Carmella wouldn't have to get in and out of a car again.

I'm hoping that there won't be any complications or permanent tissue damage and that she will start healing now that she is under 24 hour care.

If everything goes well she should be ready to come home on Friday, and they'll send her home with some oral medications to continue here.

The house feels empty without Carmella, my little buddy. I'm not getting much sleep tonight. Hopefully I'll have some news tomorrow about how she's doing. To keep myself occupied I created a treasury list on snakes. Craftcult doesn't seem to be working to post it here directly, so here's a link; http://www.etsy.com/treasury/Mzg1NXw3MTYyNTM2MzY/if-it-was-a-snake-it-would-have-bit-you

2011-07-29T21:39:00.003-04:00

Delicious Sprout Meals

Veggie Sub with Crimson & Clover Sprout Mix

Here are just a few of the numerous dishes I made with the variety of sprouts available! This sandwich was gobbled up quickly. The Crimson & Clover mix was fresh and crunchy but at the same time very light.

California Mungzuki Salad

The Mungzuki Mix combines Mung Bean and Adzuki sprouts, both substantial and robust. This mix is perfect when you want something a little more substantial. It's a good substitute for meat while at the same time light enough to use in salads. In addition to mixing it with feta and avacado as you see here, I've also made salads combining it with steamed asparagus.

Tex Mex Black Bean Soft Tacos with Sunflower Sprouts

If you love Mexican or Tex Mex style food then try the organic Black Sunflower Sprouts with corn tortillas and your favorite fixings! Sunflower Sprouts are thick and hearty and can be used in place of lettuce in any fresh dish. I would normally put Avacados in this too but ran out when the sprouts were ready to use.

These sprouts have a distinctive "green" flavor which is both refreshing and earthy. They have lots of chloraphyl in them, especially if you put them where they can get some light during the few days before harvest. When you eat them you can really tell you're eating something packed with nutrition!

I have even noticed my skin feeling more youthful since eating all these sprouts over the past few weeks!

Besides, I think I've grown about 2 pounds of this material and still have about half of the seeds left. It has saved me alot of money at the grocery store this month! I plan to continue this on a regular basis!

If you'd like to give this a try go to Moonlight Micro-farm and purchase some seeds for yourself.

She's currently offering a 15% discount to readers who enter the coupon code ALN15OFF at check-out! Be sure to try out her seeds and make use of this deal soon. You'll

be glad you did!

2011-07-26T07:19:00.003-04:00

Woman Prosecuted (and Persecuted) for Growing Vegetables in Her Own Yard!

OMG! Tonight as I was looking for some tips to help my fruit trees on Youtube I was getting ready to sign off when I came upon the story of Julie Bass, a woman from Oak Park, Michigan who was in the National news recently because she's being taken to court by the City, and could even face jail time for growing a vegetable garden in her front yard. The City cites some vague policy that says plantings in the front yard in the City must be "suitable plant material" although there is nothing that actually states that vegetables are not suitable. They are interpreting "suitable" to mean that which is "common" in the area. As a fellow planter and supporter of DIY I could not go to bed without writing about this in my blog, as from what I understand, her court date is today.

There were several videos about this situation posted on Youtube, one of them from a man in California with a magnificent vegetable garden, producing enough fresh food probably to fully sustain him. More and more people have to resort to growing their own food (myself included).

I went to her blog; oakparkhatesveggies.wordpress.com and also read some of her own postings, one of which really moved me. It was about the fact that the city had villified her and attempts to set her apart from those in her community but in reality she's not really any different from anyone else.

She lives in a neighborhood where most of her neighbors actually like what she's done with her yard and the neighborhood children enjoy helping with the gardening. She is somebody who was just going about the business of living and some busybody took it upon herself to turn her in (and that particular neighbor after turning her life upside down over what should have been a non-issue hid behind a disguised voice when interviewed by the TV news station, and wouldn't allow her face or identity to be revealed).

It occurred to me that not only was this mightily unfair that such a thing could have been so blown out of proportion based on one complaint but it could very possibly be unconstitutional; a violation of her property or other rights to live as a free citizen of the United States.

Would the city of Oak Park rather she seek government assistance to pay for food than for her to grow her own? Clearly they have not fully thought through the full ramifications of their position. And if they should prevail in court what is that going to do in other municipalities where other people have to rely on home grown food for their survival? Hunger in this country is very real and ever-present and right now with unemployment being at an all-time high (and many unemployed are not even officially counted), the citizens of this country cannot afford to lose any liberties.

Food prices are increasing yet salaries are not. Those who are not out and out laid off from their jobs are likely to have their salary cut and/or have their hours reduced. Many people still cannot afford health insurance. Governments all over this country are saying they cannot afford to operate and are cutting back needed and vital services.

Going after private citizens in their own homes to challenge what they choose to do with their own yards is not the answer and it will accomplish nothing but making both parties increasingly broke.

Before I get too long-winded with this I want to let you readers know what you can do to support Julie Bass in her good fight against this ludicrous ordinance. To reach somebody fastest

Please e-mail Kevin Rulkowski (Director/City Planner) at krulkowski@ci.oak-park.mi.us

and/or call (248) 691-7450

Fax: (248) 691-7165

Mon-Thurs. 8 AM - 5 PM

I just sent off this e-mail to Mr. Rulkowski;

Dear Director Rulkowski,

I have been hearing about the plight of Julie Bass on the news and on the web and would like to ask that you drop this case against her and allow her to continue to grow produce in her front yard. It is my understanding that only one neighbor disagreed with the vegetable garden and that the majority of the community is behind Ms. Bass in this use of her yard.

This one neighbor should not be allowed to blow such a thing so out of proportion and cause trouble for this woman who is only trying to live her life. This garden is doing nothing dangerous to anyone in her community and it sounds as though the root of the controversy is merely a matter of personal taste.

I think if you'd really think about this you'd realize that to legislate against something like this would set a very bad precedent and at a time when many branches of government are operating at a severe deficit and that persuing charges against someone for something like this really takes money away from much more serious matters.

Besides, would you rather people go for public assistance to pay for their food? Don't you think the alternative to growing your own food would be even more costly? Think about if you or someone in your own family were laid off or not making enough money to eat for the whole month. What would you do? Wouldn't you want to do everything in your power to remain independant and provide for your family? That is all this woman is trying to do. What she does with her own property should be her decision as long as it does not endanger anybody else, and this doesn't.

That one neighbor might not like how it looks, but part of being neighbors is having tolerance for how others live their lives even if you wouldn't live that way, and it sends the wrong message to indulge somebody who has made a mountain out of a mole hill when there really isn't a vital reason for it. This is a difficult time in our country and instead of divisiveness our government officials should be encouraging communities to pull together and support one another, not to nitpick every tiny detail nor to abuse local ordinances and make others' lives that much harder.

There may come a time when growing a garden in one's front yard becomes a necessity for most people and that time may be sooner than you think. It is likely that this recession is going to continue for quite awhile and the worst may be yet to come.

Why not give this woman a break and consider this her personal decision and something the government should stay out of. There may be constitutional issues that supercede City ordinances on this issue anyhow. People have been gardening for food since the days of the early settlers and I think a case could be made that it is a well-accepted practice even in today's society.

Sincerely,

Pippit Carlington

If any of you readers grow edible plants I hope you'll do the same because this affects all of us ultimately. We sure don't want other municipalities following this bad legislation/policy. Citizens should have the ultimate control over what they/we eat, and should be allowed to grow it where we live, and no government entity should have the right to place restrictions on that choice.

You can also post links and info on your blogs and Facebook page, forums, etc, if you have them.

Ther's also a petition you can sign here; http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/oak-park-hates-veggies/

I'll be posting part II about the sprout dishes soon, but this story was too important to put off another minute.

2011-07-22T20:39:00.003-04:00

Moonlight Micro-Farm Helps People Eat Well

Despite a Tough Economy

The cost of food has been steadily increasing in recent months so I had to think of a creative solution to make the most of the same amount of money I get each month, as I started to run out of food before the end of the month. Extreme times call for extreme measures although if one harkens back to simpler times it's not really so extreme to grow your own food. The concept of Micro-farming makes doing so relatively easy and user-friendly. My property is not the best for growing vegetables because it's covered by trees and doesn't get much direct sun. I have 2 Granny Smith apple trees and 1 Peach tree that I'd had high hopes for at the time I planted them but after several years have produced no harvestable fruit, and tomato and other seedling plants in recent years have had their roots eaten by in-ground bugs, attacked by aphids, or turned yellow and died before I could recover anything edible from them.

As I looked at various goodies on Etsy I came across some listings for seeds which could be sprouted for food, and this idea started to look more and more attractive and viable to me the more I looked into it. A search on Youtube yielded alot of videos made by people who were benefitting greatly from this approach; people even in areas of the country where fresh vegetables were unavailable in their local grocery stores during Winter months! Did you know that sprouts pack about 10 times the nutrition of their resulting fully-grown plants? They are full of anti-oxidants and natural fiber!

I convoed Chandra Hartman at Moonlight Micro-Farm, an Etsy shop offering such harvestable seeds and asked her how much seed I'd need to last me the summer and she helped me to come up with a nice array of varieties that would last me, and I'm so glad I did because even after a few weeks the box of seeds has already paid for itself! Rather than needing to go to the grocery store each week to replace my perishable vegetation I have only had to go maybe twice, and that has been mainly to replace other foods like dairy and meat products!

All Chandra's seeds are grown organically and in addition to the sprouting varieties she also offers everything from mini Watermelon to Artichoke and Brussels Sprout seeds in addition to the more common vegetable and herb seeds.

I bought the Crimson and Clover , Mungzuki , and the Organic Black Sunflower Seeds and I created some recipes especially for each type of sprout.

The Mungzuki

and Crimson and Clover

sprouted easily without incident, but the black sunflower seeds were a little more finnicky.

After soaking 8-12 hours, then rinsing the seeds twice a day for 3-4 days in a row I got this jarfull of big, fat, juicy sprouts!

Please do try this at home;

You'll need:

* A flat container; preferably with small drainage holes in the bottom
* Something to place underneath for excess water to drain into
* A spray bottle
* Potting soil
* A cover (optional but not absolutely necessary)

I got a flat at Walmart but they didn't have the kind I really needed with small drain holes, so I had to get the one that included peat pellets with a little insert that had square nitches and holes about the size of a nickel.

I removed the peat pellets and decided to try to put a layer of packing peanuts in the bottom of the tray so that dirt wouldn't just fall through the holes.

Then I put a 1 inch layer of Jiffy brand seed-starting potting soil in the tray on top of the packing peanuts.

Then I poured out the sunflower sprouts in the tray on top of the dirt, spread them out evenly,

and then covered them with about 1/4 inch more of dirt. I sprayed the dirt with the spray bottle so that all the dirt was moist but not too saturated.

Then I covered it and put it in the bathroom in the dark to let the seeds form roots and start to grow.

Well the planting results of my first batch were not as good as they were when the seeds were in the jar.

I think it was the packing peanuts or else they were too crowded. These didn't ultimately make it. I noticed that some people who had videos on Youtube just planted theirs without drainage and theirs came out just fine, so this time I planted a smaller batch in a glass container. Here were the results step by step;

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

At day 6 I noticed that the sprouts had two leaves but were only 2 inches long and they were beginning to go in wild directions rather than growing upright. I figured I better cut them and eat them the next day for lunch jut in case they might be in the dirt too long. This seemed to help and as a result the ones that were not as far along that had been lying down grew longer and more upright again! It was like when you prune rose bushes or trees. It seemed to free them up so that they could make full use of their resources.

Day 8

Some of the seed casings are stubborn and don't want to come off by themselves, so after this picture was taken I picked off the persistant ones.

Meanwhile as I'm waiting to get another batch of edible sprouts from this container I started another one. It's a good idea to time them so that you can have sprouts ready to eat at all times by staggering the preparation and planting.

Stay tuned for Part Two of this story where I'll show you some of the delicious meals I prepared with my sprouts!

In the meantime, grow some yourself and see just how delicious home-grown can be!

To get started on your own indoor micro-gardening adventure go to Moonlight Micro-Farm now!

2011-05-19T22:54:00.003-04:00

Spring Has Sprung!

and so has this new Vertical Budding Vine Necklace! I elaborated on my usual by adding some new features this time; hand-forged sterling silver leaves soldered onto wires which are then wrapped lovingly around the main fine silver stalk which is made from a real vine, and get this! This one has a little copper flower on it with a sterling silver stamen! This new piece is bursting with color and texture and it brings 3D to a whole new level. You feel like you're in the woods right now with your face a few inches away from a vine with all its lush foliage as it just begins to bloom! This is a necklace you can look at for hours with all it's details! But don't just look at it. It's fun to wear too! Be the envy of all your friends and even people you haven't met might just ask you where you got it!

And what is Spring without the "birds and the bees", well in this case it was two Luna Moths mating!

These guys were right outside my back door yesterday when I went out to take some pictures for my Etsy shops. Now how often do you get to see that! Since Luna Moths are generally very introverted creatures and don't show themselves often I would guess it's not very frequently!

I'm usually lucky if I see one each Spring but this year I've been lucky enough to see several; these two, an immature one a few days before that, and another full grown one about a month ago.

It must be a good omen of easier times ahead. Luna Moths are probably one of the gentlest animals I can think of. There is something about their spirit that reminds me of a dove and I've never really thought of them as insects. They seem more substantial, deeper, and higher-thinking. I've had them climb right onto my hand and look at me on several occasions. They don't seem to be at all afraid, just curious.

I've got lots of cool jewelry in the works and will be doing more things with leaves and flowers.

Be sure to keep checking my shop, come in and take something home with you.
http://Giftbearer.etsy.com

If you're looking for unique supplies I have been listing Cactus Quartz like mad! In fact I am using one right now for a piece of my own jewelry that you will be seeing in my jewelry shop in the near future.

See those and many more items here.
http://GiftbearerSupply.etsy.com
Secondary items are often only .75 additional shipping to destinations within the US, so go ahead and load up your cart! Several buyers have purchased 5 or 6 items at a time, and my stock of Cactus Quartz is starting to go but there are still some very nice stones left if you act soon!

2011-05-11T16:09:00.000-04:00

Love At First Bite- Riol96

Great Cuisine on Etsy

3 triangles of Spanikopita with Greek Salad

Food may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about Etsy, but that is about to change! The number and variety of Etsy food sellers and delectible dishes you can get delivered right to your door is steadily growing, and searching the Plants and Edibles section yields a plethora of yummy handmade items both sweet and savory.

A lover of really good food from many cultures, I just happened to be doing a treasury one day and as I was searching through all the food items offered for sale I came across a shop selling Spanikopita. For those of you who have no idea what that is it is an authentic Greek delicacy often served in the finest Greek restaurants; like a savory spinache and cheese turnover or pie, but the crust is made from phyllo dough, a very light and flaky material that looks like thin rice paper and gets nice and crispy when heated.

Alma Karassavidas, the shop owner living in New York makes these delicious treats with an old family recipe handed down by her husband's great Grandmother who lived in Greece.

Alma guarantees in her listing that this will be the best you've ever tasted, and boy was she ever right! When I opened the box the aroma told me that these were going to be top notch! What you'll get rivals that served in some of the best authentic Greek restaurants.

They are made to order, take about a day to complete, and then ship Priority Mail.

Currently she is listing them as she goes, but if you want a larger order you can convo her and have her do a custom order for a larger quantity. I ordered 24 so they'd last me awhile. I knew that a dozen would be gobbled down fast. I put half of them in the refrigerator and the other half in the freezer.

To reheat;

Thaw the pieces to room temperature before baking

Brush tops with butter if desired.

Do not microwave, as the phyllo dough will become soggy in microwave.

Bake it at low temp 325-350 until heated through (10-15 minutes)

Pies can be stored frozen in an airtight container for 2-3 months if needed.

As you can see in the photo above I ate 3 pieces for lunch today already. They were so good I didn't want lunchtime to end, but there is always dinner tonight, LOL.

I highly recommend this seller and her delicious Spanikopita. It would be great for a wedding or party, or food for you or your family even without a special occasion. She just happens to have some waiting for you; http://www.etsy.com/listing/60814634/greek-spinach-pie

2011-04-13T16:02:00.000-04:00

A Whitehouse Giftshop - A Suggestion for a Handmade Solution

Could Bring More Money Into Federal Budget and Provide Needed Income To Artists

After watching President Obama's speech today I just had to go to http://Whitehouse.gov and leave comments. In alot of ways the President has taken a complete 180 on his position. Although it was evident that he himself was not comfortable with the current solution, he is bending almost to the point of breaking when it comes down to administering cuts. He says he is using a scalpel rather than a machete, but if you're amputating needed body parts and removing needed organs that is no real consolation.

What I heard was quite disturbing, and it was as much what he didn't say as what he did; cutting of more medications through Medicare and trying to replace them with generics, protecting seniors and children with disabilities (what about adults with disabilities?), stating that everybody will be sacrificing "a little", which ignores the reality that despite the fact that there has been alot of inflation and the cost of living has increased, those on fixed incomes have sacrified alot already by having no cost of living increase at the first of the year and are living way below the poverty level!

I had been meaning to write and tell him my idea for a Whitehouse giftshop for a few months now but have been working so hard to make ends meet I literally hadn't gotten around to it.

I don't agree with privatization when it comes to health insurance or other government services that would have the effect of putting people's basic survival at the mercy of big industries with a profit motive, but I think there is a place for private enterprise as a means to supplement the federal budget, and it could privide badly needed income to citizens at the same time!

This is not a tax, but rather offering products that people would buy in other venues . When people get something in return they don't mind nearly as much spending money.

This idea could be a win/win all around, and I really hope the Whitehouse will take my suggestion. With all the wonderful products for sale on Etsy, at shows, etc. not to mention all the artists who are struggling to pay all of their expenses, if such a brick and mortar store were developed by the govenment and products bought outright and/or on consignment quite alot of money could be raised and put into government services! This would definitely work with handmade products, but the whitehouse could also start other businesses as well which provide things that people already buy at other venues such a clothing, food, etc.

Getting back to the hand-crafted items though; not only could the Whitehouse have a physical store location out of which to sell these things made by hundreds or thousands of artists nationwide, but they could also set up an e-commerce site to offer these items online! Believe me, I would do it in a heartbeat!

They could do just a standard consignment contract to carry the artists' work; nothing too intimidating nor red-tape filled, and handle it like other privately-owned shops do. For consignment they could do a standard 50/50 split (or 40/60 in favor of the artist), but I would love to see as much bought outright as possible. That could provide alot of added security to artists working in a whole range of mediums and at the same time address the federal deficit.

Just imagine walking into a giftshop filled with all kinds of wonderful handmade items, paintings, jewelry, fiberwork, ceramics, glass, sculpture, and other cool things and knowing that your purchase is also preventing important services from being cut.

With nearly every important and needed service currently sitting on the chopping block; education, transportation, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and others, we can't afford to throw out any viable alternative. Granted it's different from the way the government usually operates but I think it's time to re-define its role in society and be willing to update its operations to solve the unique problems we're facing now. There are just some things we should not have to compromise!

Food and gas prices are soaring right now (and those of you who use silver know how high that has gone up).

If you readers like this idea please go to the Whitehouse website link above, and click on the "contact us" link at the upper right side of the page and tell the President!

And President Obama, if you're reading this (or if one of your staff is reading); please try this idea rather than giving into political pressure to cut things we desperately need. Contact me and let's talk! The country's bold economic problems call for bold solutions. This is the language of hope and it can provide a means of economic stimulus instead of impoverishment.

2011-03-08T22:24:00.000-05:00

New Chromasome Stacker Rings By Giftbearer

A new twist on stacker rings, the stamped lines on these look like the chromosomes you see on scientific charts. This first set is size 7 1/2.

They look and feel great on your finger;

Alot of people now are wearing stacker rings. They're fun and stylish. If you like these but need another size please contact me on Etsy to place a custom order, let me know how many you want and I'll give you a quote and set up a special listing for you.

Copper is such a warm metal and it is one of the few pure metals that hasn't skyrocketed in price in recent years. I love working with it and have more things in-progress. Be sure to take a look at the other copper jewelry I have in my shop. I'm getting ready to renew my copper flower necklaces over the next several days. For those of you who have not seen them yet; I have 16" and 18" and they come with a choice of several different gemstones.

Some copper chainmaille pieces are coming too, so stay tuned!

I addition to copper, I'm working on some sterling silver Spring and Easter designs as well.

2011-03-02T19:37:00.002-05:00

Unkamen Gifts, and Unkamen Supplies from a Very Un-common Family;

Living Outside The Box

The Helmrichs are not like any other family you'll ever meet. Ralph, Karen, and their two children, Leah and Byron, ages 18 and 14 live a nomadic lifestyle and own a family business which produces handcrafted jewelry and supplies, mostly specializing in chainmaille, and tools, kits, and supplies for its enthusiasts.

Although they call both Livingston, Texas and Rolla, Missouri home, they spend much of their time traveling around the USA in their RV hitting the show circuits to sell their wares. Traveling with them are two dogs; Ivey, a Doxie, and Hookah, a Basset, and two cats; Triangle, and a new kitten, Whiskey.

The children have always been homeschooled and it's clear that all this extraordinary life experience throughout their formative years complete with the daily love and attention from both parents has resulted in compassionate, insightful, and mature individuals with wisdom beyond their years!

The family belongs to Schooling At Home Etsyians Team.

They have taken the Handmade Pledge and in keeping with this philosophy make all their gifts for one another. They also belong to the Fulltime Etsy Crafters Team .

These are just a few examples of what can be made with some of their unique components!

Ring Made from Japanese Flower Weave

Earrings Created from Mobius Weave

Bracelet made with Inca Puno Weave

Each member of the family has an important role in making the business successful;

Ring Made in European 4 in 1 Weave

Leah handles much of the packing up of orders, preparing them to be shipped to the many happy customers who place their orders online and she creates some of the jewelry you see in the Unkamen Gifts etsy shop and on the independant website; UnkamenGifts.com. She began making basic jewelry in 2005 when a fellow RVing friend introduced her to the craft. She found that she loved this medium and then made pieces for herself and friends, and soon she began selling it locally. Her school studies keep her busy but she maintains her own Etsy shop filled with interesting and colorful designs, Favmoongirl . Last summer she attended a hiking course at NOLS in Alaska, adding to the lower 48 states the family has traveled in.

Most of the tutorials on various chainmaille weaves the family has posted on Youtube feature her. Subscribe to their Youtube channel for all kinds of cool step by step instructions on using your jumprings and other components to transform them into beautiful jewelry!

Necklace in Jens Pind Weave

Byron , her brother,began collecting and learning to polish various stones with his father Ralph's help a few years ago. He started marketing them as "Gratitude Stones" because he recognized that "the root of true happiness is being grateful for everything that you have". He expanded his line to include magnets, pinback buttons and keychains. He also sews little pouches and hand makes all the paper envelopes to be used for packaging every piece that goes to buyers.

Bracelet in Byzantine Weave (Created from Ralph's special square wire jump rings wound with edges pointing outward)

Earrings in Barrel Weave

Karen who was previously an RN, Registered Yoga Instructor and Certified Personal Trainer now works fulltime handling the back-end of the business. She does the bookkeeping, maintains the company's internet locations, photographs most of the items, and does research and development including testing out all the products offered for sale. She also helps come up with many of the jewelry design ideas you see in the online shops and at shows.

Ralph's passion for jewelry began when he presented a necklace he'd made to Karen about 6 years ago. Seeing her wear and enjoy this necklace got the wheels turning in his mind and he was inspired to learn more advanced jewelry-making techniques, and he became really interested in chainmaille in particular. Being an engineer the precise and mathematical principles of the technique really appealed to him. He is semi-retired from his previous line of work and currently does only occasional consulting and trouble-shooting for aerosol manufacturers to supplement his income from Unkamen Gifts/Supplies.

He winds and cuts all the handcrafted jumprings and solders some more elaborate components, and he has some items you can't find elsewhere.

Ralph is a two-time cancer survivor having beat prostate cancer about 5 years ago. Last summer doctors found a spot of melanoma on his nose, and he has had 5 surgeries to remove malignant tissue and reconstruct the affected area. He is in the process now of undergoing a 6th surgery and will be taking some time off to recover until March 20th. He's holding off on all making of handmade components until he returns. Commercial components he has in stock and wire will continue to be shipped on schedule as usual, but if you do not have a deadline you have to meet to receive your handmade components you can contact him for a custom quote, get in que, then enter Coupon Code: "SAVENOWSHIPLATER2011" at checkout. He will be available to answer convoes and will ship your custom-ordered items when he returns. He can offer quantity discounts for many of his items of the same kind/size.

Research has shown that the more support somebody with cancer has the better the odds of a good outcome, so send your good thoughts and prayers his way during this difficult time.

Better still, place an order in one or more of his shops. I am a firm believer that "luck" doesn't happen in a vaccuum and really involves decisive action. Well wishes combined with action is a powerful prescription. Not only can you "wish" good luck you can be good luck for him and his family.

I know from when my mother had cancer that treatment is not only a scary undertaking but expensive, and insurance (especially in this day and age of budget cuts and rising healthcare costs) doesn't cover everything.

I have some beautiful components he made and hope to put in another order when he returns. I can personally vouch for the quality of them. His exacting standards and wonderful customer service make ordering custom components a great experience. He is even creating some findings for me from my own drawing!

To order supplies go to UnkamenSupplies

For finished chainmaille jewelry go to; UnkamenGifts.etsy.com or http://unkamengifts.com/

For Jewelry for Teens and Young Adults go to; FavMoonGirl Creations

For Keychains and Accessories go to; Unkamen Keychains

For Leah's other shop of sterling and gold designs other than chainmaille; Startphyre Designs

Find the Helmrich family on Facebook: www.facebook.com/UnkamenGifts

And follow their blog here; www.unkamengifts.com/blog/

2011-02-24T01:07:00.001-05:00

New Metalwork by Giftbearer

This Weathered Poppy Copper Bangle is hand-forged and its inner diameter measures 9 1/2" . This one should fit a 7 1/2" wrist, as most wrists are about 2" smaller than the hand. It has a lovely reddish heat patina and the center is a contrasting brass ball shined so that it gleams when the light hits it. With the cost of silver going sky high copper and other metals are a good alternative. The color is warm and rich, and I love working with it! I will be making more of these and other new and interesting designs. If you love it but it's not your size please convo me on Etsy to place a custom order.

Click on the photo above to read more about this bracelet and to purchase.

See the rest of my jewelry available for sale here;

Giftbearer

2011-02-21T05:04:00.000-05:00

In Full Bloom

Are you ready for Spring? I know I am!

Here are some bright orange flowers to keep you warm while you wait for warmer weather.

I have some jewelry in the works in these colors which will incorporate some flowers, so be sure to stay tuned to my shop.

I'm adding things just about everyday, so to see/purchase my current work go to;

Giftbearer

For jewelry supplies, please go to;

GiftbearerSupply

2011-02-19T05:06:00.000-05:00

How Much is That Doggie in the Window?

Click on the items in these shops and you'll be able to answer that question.

I got inspired tonight to make a Treasury about dogs. After weeding through thousands of Pugs, LOL, I finally was able to find a good variety of different breeds. I don't know what this fad is regarding Pugs but there sure are lots of them on Etsy.

I much prefer breeds like Greyhounds, Akita's, German Shepherds, Huskies; big, regal dogs with tapered noses, but for those of you who like little dogs with hair on their faces or little mini types I've included a few of those too.

2011-02-15T01:13:00.002-05:00

Giftbearer Suggestion Box!

You Can Help Ideas To Hatch

Here's how; Just leave a comment here in my blog as to what you would buy; colors, styles, sizes, etc.

I'd like to turn all of my hearts on Etsy into sales, so let me know what you like and I'll keep that in mind when making my new pieces of jewelry!

I just listed a few things tonight (Feb. 16th), so I hope you'll find something :-)
More to come! Having to guess since nobody has left a comment yet.

Still listing! (Feb 18th).

I'm at 112 sales and 111 items for sale in my jewelry shop; lots of choices.

For jewelry go to; Giftbearer

For supplies go to; GiftbearerSupply

2011-02-12T00:17:00.010-05:00

Do You Dream of Amethyst?

Amethyst, and Sterling Bracelet (Sparkling Lavender)

Amethyst just happens to be February's birth stone in addition to being in this winter's color forecast! There are two birthdays in my family this month; my son Quinn, and my dog, Carmella.

I just finished the above bracelet and as you can see it looks lovely with pink. Those are my courderoy pants it's resting on! You can also wear it with white, black, or any shade of purple.

The segments of woven mesh are Ndeble and they really sparkle with their rainbow surface, reflecting light in shades of lavender with pink and blue undertones.

All About Amethyst:

Amethyst ranges from nearly colorless to a very dark purple approaching black but is generally some shade of purple.

It has a hardness of 7 on the Moh's scale, and it's composition is Si02 (made from Sulfur and Oxygen).

The stone is a variety of Quartz which formed as a result of shifting of the earth's crust, called Lamellae.

The largest sources of Amethyst are in Southern Brazil and Uruguay, and also Madagascar. It is also found in Idar-Oberstein, Germany, Argentina, Russia (mostly near the Ural Mountains), Canada, in various African countries, and some is found in parts of the US such as Maine, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Colorado, although not as much of that material is gem grade. Small deposits of dark Amethyst has been found in Australia.

The Amethyst found in South America is generally found in larger pieces, but African Amethyst is reputed to be better saturated although the rough comes in smaller sizes.

Experts can often tell a stone's origin from the color

History and Folklore:

Deposits are often very large with gem grade pieces often being as large as a fist! Some can weigh as much as 700 Carats. The first find appeared in Mexico in 1900 and the pocket measured 33 X 16 X 10 Feet! It weighed more than 8 tons!

The color was first attributed to Maganese, but is now thought to be Ferric Thiocynate.

The name Amethyst means in Greek "not drunken" origiating from the myth of Dionysus, the God of intoxication. The legend is that Dionysus was angered by a mortal one day and vowed to take revenge on the next mortal he saw, sending Tigers after a young girl named Amethyst who was on her way to visit te Goddess Diana.

To protect the maiden from the ensuing attack by the tigers Diana turned Amethyst into a crystal Quartz statue, but when Dionysus saw the statue he wept tears of wine, turning the clear to purple.

The Catholic Church associated the stone with piety and was believed to encourage celibacy in the Middle Ages. These and other churches of that era used alot of Amethyst in their decor.Chalices have been crafted out of Amethyst in an attempt to prevent drunkenness, and bishops have been know to wear Amethyst rings.

The stone has long been asociated with royalty and considered sacred, and this ideology spans many different cultures, including Tibetan, Egyptian, and British. In Tibet rosaries have been carved in Amethyst in the belief that this gemstone is sacred to Buddha.

Leonardo DaVinci believed that Amethyst was capable of "dissipating evil thoughts and quickening intelligence"

Astrological signs strongly associated with this gem are Pisces, Virgo, Aquarious, and Capricorn.

It is considered the traditional stone for one's 17th wedding anniversary.

Victorian jewelry often contained the pale variety of Amethyst known as "Rose De France".

Because of the strong emotional and spirital significance given the stone it would be considered much more valuable than it is today if it were not so readily available.

Sources:

http://www.gemstoneeducation.com/Amethyst.htm

http://technology.infomine.com/articles/1/717/amethyst.history.mining/history.of.amethyst.aspx

You can find lots of Amethyst in my shops and I am always adding more! It is a beautiful stone and provides great value in jewelry. I have some very nice examples of it in both etsy shops. Just click on the pictures to get all the details and to purchase and be sure to look around while you're there, as I couldn't include all of my Amethyst in this article;

Amethyst Stud Earrings Precision Facetted by Swarogem Set in Sterling Prong Setting

Marisela-Faceted and Smooth AAA Amethyst and Bali Sterling Jewelry Set

Amethyst and Fluorite with Czech Crystal and Seedbead Necklace

Amethyst, Pearl, Hematite, and Fluorite Necklace

Autumn Corn Earrings

Sugilite/Amethyst Earrings

Natural Amethyst Crystal Point 4

Small Cactus Quartz (approx. 1 inch long)

(These Cactus Quartz and more available in my shop).

2011-02-08T19:22:00.001-05:00

Share The Love!

Vote for my Necklace; "How Love Feels"

How Love Feels- 23" long; on leather cord, hand-stitched brown ultrasuede heart focal,

with ceramic, copper, Carnelian, and Variscite beads, accented with a rich brown mottled nut from the

Phillipines

This necklace is currently for sale in my etsy store and the heart is so heavenly soft you will literally feel how love feels! Everyone else seems to make their hearts red or pink so I decided to be different and go with a chocolate brown.

Click on the picture to go and read more and/or to purchase. It is one of a kind.

Fusion Beads is sponsoring a "Share the Love" contest and the one who gets the most votes will win a $250 gift certificate!

Voting is open through February 15th and the winner will be announced on the 16th.

To vote, go here!

You can vote once every day!

2011-02-08T01:37:00.001-05:00

You Can Wear My Jewelry With These Accessories

If you like the beadwoven earrings and necklace but have so far held off on buying them because you wondered what you'd wear them with, worry no longer!

Let this treasury act as your personal shopper on Etsy!

Beadwoven designs are very under-rated and deserve to take a spot in your jewelry box next to your pearls, gemstones, glass, and metal. The end product that results is worth more than the sum of its parts. When you buy beadwoven jewelry you are investing in a true piece of wearable art.

Purple is in this winter and it is gorgeous when combined with metallic bronze/gold with hints of plum and/or blue! The beads I've used for the tubular mesh in this Triangle necklace; Volcanic Heart Center and Golden Buds earrings are hexagonal, with an irridescent metallic color which give them the effect of fish scales, and when the light hits them they are absolutely luminous!

To purchase these or my other unique jewelry designs available in my Etsy store, please go to;

Giftbearer

2011-02-03T19:52:00.001-05:00

Check out the List of Items Listed Today by Members of Promotional Frenzy!

Here's my new pair of earrings (Click on photo for more information).

Metallic Gold Iris Beadwoven Carnelian Brass and Vermeil Earrings (Golden Buds)

2011-02-02T01:26:00.005-05:00

Sabtis Designs - Elegant and Classic Pearls

3 Strand Ivory glass pearl necklace with antiqued brass clasp and links

Have a wedding and you need white accessories for that special day?

Well this shop has what you need to feel and look beautiful; the necklace, the earrings, even the bracelet!

The name Sabtis was derived from a combination of the Northern California mother's 3 children's names.

Her appreciation of beauty, style, and grace shines through her work.

Using a variety of metals including silver-plated, surgical steel, gold-plated, sterling, and some Hill Tribes silver, you can choose what you like in a wide range of price-points from $8.00 for a single pair of white glass pearl drop earrings to $175 for a set of 5 multiple strand Bridesmaids' Bracelets

Green aventurine, freshwater pearls, gold leaf, earrings

Most all jewelry in this shop is customizable for size and other features. Just contact Estee, the owner and she will be glad to assist you so that you will absolutely love your jewelry.

3 Strand Ivory glass pearl necklace with antiqued brass clasp and links

Although specializing in bridal jewelry if you want some color other than white or cream Sabtis has some designs using crystal, gemstone, and other beads you will enjoy for other occasions as well!

Graduated chunky beaded necklace with Celestial crystal accents black, green, gold

This fun and flirty necklace features a spring green fringe of crystal beads on gold-plated headpins and hoops contrasting with bold black round "druk" beads. This is sure to be a power piece for the woman with flair, not afraid to take the world by storm and make it fabulous!

JANUARY - FREE Shipping to the US and Canada Plus a Free gift!

You can also follow her on Twitter here: http://www.twitter.com/sabtisdesigns

Sabtis Designs accepts many forms of payment including Paypal, Credit/Debit cards, and checks.

Go here: Sabtisdesigns

2011-01-31T00:19:00.000-05:00

Promotional Frenzy Presents; Out of Whole Cloth BNR Treasury

A compilation from 8 fiber artists

We are now an official Etsy Team!

For details on joining go here ---> http://www.etsy.com/teams/7512/promotional-frenzy-team

We're giving you a sneak preview before we open so that you can look through these shops and pick out something you need and/or want. Try to get there as close to opening as possible so that you have a good chance of getting your chosen seller.

If you have not been to one of our Specialty BNRs here is how it works:

1) We fill half the treasury slots with 8 featured sellers. The other 8 are left blank.

2) The first 4 buyers to call and buy from one of the sellers get featured in two spots! These usually go fast, so don't delay. The first 4 must be from different sellers (for instance if someone has already called/bought from one articular seller you can't buy from that same seller to get the 2 spots). If you're heart is really set on that seller please wait and watch until just after the first 4 are taken and we have 16 items on the board and then make your selection for the usual 1 spot. You will also want to buy in as soon as possible so that you have the best chance of getting sales, as we have found it works better not to carry people over and to have fresh things each week.

3) Once we have all spots filled (after first 4 have bought-in) it reverts to 1 spot for to each buyer and you can buy from any seller.

4) Please help promote the BNR, and feel free to post your specials if you buy in/are featured.

Let's make this a huge success and show all these fiber artists some love! There are a wide variety of items from which to choose and you will almost surely find something you can use or give as a gift. Please don't hesitate to inquire about custom orders, as most if not all of these artists are very open to customization.

Also, if I buy from you, you just might end up featured in my blog!

2011-01-26T05:16:00.003-05:00

Why Food Sellers Should Join Promotional Frenzy

1) Do you have an old family recipe and everyone's been telling you to bottle it and start making a profit on it but you aren't sure how to get the word out?

2) Are you a fantastic and creative baker/cook who has an etsy shop but feels lost in the hundreds of other food sellers out there who are also selling unique and creative edibles?

3) Are you starting to see an increase in sales in your etsy shop but it's either feast or famine and you'd like it to be constant?

4) Are your food products really new and you'd like to test them and see what people think?

5) Are you your own best customer?

6) Do you think to Stumble refers to when you've had too much to drink?

7) When asked "Do you blog" do you answer "What's that?"

8) When you hear the word Twitter do you think they're talking about birds outside your window?

9) Does Kaboodle include "the whole kit and..." where you grew up?

If you've answered yes to any of these questions then you just might be in need of Promotional Frenzy!

What is Promotional Frenzy? you might be wondering.

How can it make my cakes and cookies disappear?

Take weight off my backside, and put weight in my wallet?

Can it replace those lonely nights when it's just me and a batch of chocolate chip cookie dough?

Yes it can!

Just about every day we've got something going on that will get you and your goodies off the kitchen counter and in front of hungry people with money burning a hole in their pocket.

Monday is our weekly BNR (Buy and Replace Treasury);

For those of you who are new to Etsy or have never ventured into the Treasury you are missing out on a state of the art way to advertise! 16 lucky sellers are featured in an online live gallery and people have a chance to buy from them in real-time, talk, ask questions. Buyers ask to buy from a particular seller whose item appears in one of the slots and buys an item or items meeting a certain minimum, then their shop replaces that which they bought from.

Now comes the really fun part! Here is your chance to tell these potential buyers why they should want and buy your particular edible treats! Tell them how delicious they are, tempt them with special deals, and charm them with your excellent customer service. Ask their likes and dislikes. The BNR Treasury affords sellers and buyers avenues to connect in a way that no other section of Etsy does. There is more pre-sales interaction going on in a BNR Treasury than in the forums, or through convoes and e-mail. Those that return the following weeks after eating something scrumptious help you build your brand with their honest endorsements while the world looks on! It's kind of like being on TV or radio except on the internet! Other potential customers get to hear how cute the packaging was, how quickly the goody arrived, and then how quickly it was gobbled up. That is something you don't always get in written feedback. There is the potential to build lasting relationships with buyers in the BNR that might not have sustained through other means. The more people taste and enjoy your food items the more they talk about it, and word spreads!

Soon, before you know it you have people waiting in line to buy from you! And it doesn't stop there. Often sales from the BNR extend to after it's over. People who may not have bought from you when the BNR was open might heart an item and come back later in the week! Also, Google picks up the comments made in treasuries and so does Twitter and other such places. Facebook friends who have it posted on their wall might just decide that your fudge or sugar cookies are too tempting to pass up.

The girl planning her wedding might decide to order 25 cases of baklavah when she sees something posted about it and rushes over there to buy in with her handmade soap. Your pastries just happened to be what she was looking for, and thus a new customer is made and in turn she gets some promotion for her soap business while she puts in the order for her wedding dessert. She was going to spend $250 anyhow buying this from someone, and that someone might as well be you! If you hadn't been there you'd have missed out on a unique opportunity!

I know some of you are skeptical and saying to yourselves "BNRs are stupid. I don't need that. How will that really help me?" You may be thinking that you won't make enough to pay a bill or for tomorrow's lunch for that matter.

In the past BNRs have had the reputation of being places where only people looking for bargain basement stuff come to buy, but that is changing! As more people with varied taste and income levels come to Etsy to shop and to sell that stereotype no longer holds true.

A few weeks ago we decided to challenge the status quo. We thought, "OK, we procured lots of sales at the $3.50 price-point. What if we raised the minimum to buy in to $10.00 or $15.00? Some people were worried that nobody would buy in but an amazing thing happened. People did buy! Our first attempt was with jewelry and we started with 8 jewelry sellers, leaving the other 8 slots blank. The first 4 people to buy from one of the shops got two of the empty slots until all were filled. Then people started to be replaced. This was our first specialty BNR and the first time we'd raised the minimum.

Contrary to what some feared there really was not a big drop in sales and the dollar amount brought in was about the same in that first one although this was achieved in a smaller number of sales. Then it and the number of sales steadily increased in the ones that followed.

Well back to how this impacts food sellers; I can tell you that since I've been running this BNR I've seen some food sellers who have gotten numerous sales in BNRs, bought out and back in again and again and have made a nice chunk of money to take home for the night! This varies somewhat depending on a number of factors such as whether it falls close to buyers' pay periods or how many other BNRs the buyers have participated in that week, but if you have a quality product, you get it shipped intact in a timely manner, and the customer loves it, you are very likely to be sought after in the BNR when the next week rolls around! This momentum builds comfidence in your buyers and you will find that you'll start developing some repeat customers as well as friends of customers who heard how good it was!

And one of my all time favorites I bought from in one of our BNRs;

Miss Munchie - Pretzel Bread Bagels, and Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Tuesday-Promotional Frenzy!

This is where each of us lists an item of ours and adds it to a master list. That list then gets passed around on the forum thread we frequent (in the Etsy Promotions section), re-posted and added to by each participant. Food sellers have benefitted from this activity in that it increases the number of links out there as everyone uses various social networking sites as guided missiles of promotion and the group concentrates this activity throughout the day usually coming to a head around 9 PM.

Not only do total strangers see all that good food being promoted by 20 or more people in the thread and outside it, but it has been known to happen that those doing the promoting upon seeing all that wonderful food must have some for themselves and give into temptation. The community atmosphere and longer-term working relationships the thread nurtures is fertile ground for buying within the group. And don't forget that all these people have family and friends who also might taste some of that heavenly stuff sooner or later and come knocking on your door for more. Twitter with it's short and sweet little soundbites gets you lots of views fast, while StumbleUpon allows your product to be reviewed in a more lengthy and more permanent way which trickles down to reach a number of viewers over the next few days and even weeks.

Wednesday - Blogging;

Hump day is when the group takes the opportunity to fill cyberspace with reminders of all the wonderful shops included in this collaborative effort sometimes directly with a feature of someone they admire including links and pictures, and sometimes indirectly posting about other things while links to the shops are visible in the blog's sidebar for viewers to browse while they read the topic being written about. It could be something pertaining to business, a tutorial, or a feature or it could even be about family, or anything for that matter. The list of links in the sidebar are doing their residual job, providing another path to your shop, and like they always say sometimes the way to somebody's heart really is through their stomach. You never know who might be eating Etsy-bought sweets or salties while they type away in their blog. And last but not least; if I buy from you or think what you have is especially cool...you just might find your items featured in my blog!

Mocha Latte Da - Espresso/Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

Then everyone comments on each others' blogs and those comments draw more viewers, followers, and potential buyers whose curiosity eventually gets the best of them and they go clicking around to see what all is in these intrigueing shops.

Thursday - List an Item;

Thursday is the day when all are encouraged to list something in their shop to keep fresh content moving for Etsy search and Google. Once listed (or renewed) that item gets placed on another circulating list which gets promoted by tons of people who are in the thread, much as is done in the Tuesday Frenzy. As if blasted from a canyon via megaphone, your product gets prime airtime throughout the day in all timezones. Who wouldn't love that!

Friday - Create a Treasury;

A picture is worth a thousand words and food is a very visual thing! Think about it. When you see those TV commercials dripping with deep, dark chocolate doesn't it make you want some? You pick a theme and/or color and go off to investigate what treasures the Promotional Frenzy thread holds. It is always a little bit of a surprise because along with the most visible people lies some buried treasure. For others looking for great things to feature that treasure might be you and something yummy you've made. With the number of people participating chances are your shop will show up in several treasuries and although it's not a BNR you might still get sales as a result of all that repeat exposure. Utilizing the various social networks and even other threads in the etsy forum, your business gets broadcasted far and wide. People might not take notice the first time they see you in a treasury but the 3rd 4th, and 5th time is likely to bring some results you can really sink your teeth into (no pun intended, hee, hee).

My Etsy Brunch - An array of food sellers' items

Saturday - Solo Frenzy;

Usually held at 9:00 PM, the Solo Frenzy is a time for one lucky member to shine for the day! Sellers come up for this honor in alphabetical order and as long as you are actively participating your time will come! Those who can't be there at 9:00 PM (or other designated time) will be promoting items from your shop at various times of the day. With all that food flying around the internet something's bound to stick, (and I don't mean noodles).

Sunday - OFF to Relax and Recoup;

After all that work you will want to put your feet up (if you can tear yourself away from all the packages that need to be packed up, then shipped the next morning, LOL). I'm kidding, but partially serious. That does tend to happen alot once you've been with Promotional Frenzy awhile. It's just one of those annoying little side-effects of all those reciprocal links being propogated on your shop, multiplying like bunnies.

Calliope AZ - Home Grown Tangerines

Kind of like "Death by Chocolate".

Pernillas Something Swedish - Peanut Butter Cups

Although this was written with food sellers in mind many of the same benefits apply to sellers in all categories.

2011-01-24T15:46:00.002-05:00

Promotional Frenzy's BNR Treasury- Monday, January 24th, at 3:00 PM EST!

Watch it in real time!

See who buys in!

Join us, have fun, buy-in!

2011-01-18T23:04:00.000-05:00

Bounty of Beads-Selection, Selection, Selection!

Brass Link Chain 6x3 14 Feet Length

If you make jewelry and you're looking for a vast selection and great prices http://BountyofBeads.etsy.com probably has some things you need.

In this Etsy store you'll find everything from acrylic to sterling silver!

I lucked out this past Monday and noticed that she just happened to have something I've had on my list to get that one of my regular suppliers was out of stock on; some copper washers in several different sizes. I bought every last lot she had for only around $15.00 and that will keep me stocked up on those for quite some time! I can hardly wait to get them and see what unique things I can make! I love copper.

As in the picture above she also carries brass for you brass die-hards who make the Vintaj style pieces of jewelry using filligree components and ephemeral and/or victorian type parts.

She carries Trinity Brass findings; (Click below to see her whole selection).

Trinity Brass Vintage Patina Lily Bracelet Link

One of her specialties is her hand-wrapped Dangle Charm Drops

(Click on the picture below to see her whole selection of those).

6 Piece Emerald Green Dangle Drops

The crisp color contrast between the gold-plated beadcaps and the faceted crystal in this particular lot really pops!

What she is selling in a nut-shell is convenience. When your time = money that is very important! With these pre-made handcrafted dangles jewelry artists can cut down on production time and spend more of that time on the overall design and less on such tedious things as wrapping hundreds of links!

I don't make designs with tons of dangles very often because my fingers will ache to the bone afterwards. I don't know how she does so many of these without killing her hands, so my hat is off to her that she does this to save time for other artists!

If you check her shop periodically you will find some great values such as these good-sized 12mm x 8mm x 5mm Faceted Oval Smokey Topaz Beads

10 Pc Oval Faceted Smokey Topaz Beads

10 of these are only $5.80 and the quality is quite fine; no inclusions that I can see with the naked eye, and nice precise facets.

I addition to the above items, she has some very cute glass seahorses in a variety of colors, pearls, a sterling Aligator charm, and other things (I don't want to tell you everything or it will ruin the surprises).

2011-01-14T22:19:00.005-05:00

Promotional Frenzy's Art-Lovers BNR Treasury

Monday, January 17th

4:00 PM - 1:00 AM EST
Final Count: 43 Sales (29 Bought Out)!
Be Sure To Join Us Same Time Next Week.

Attention: We Have Moved To Retain Hotness: Go Here;
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d34a69eab036d910d4366f0/open-at-4pm-art-lovers-bnr-anyone-can#4d34ad31b1356d91273d6010

If you're not a seasoned BNR buyer, don't worry, it's easy and anyone can play!

Here's how!

Instructions;

1) This is a Specialty BNR. We begin with 8 sellers with 2D art; 1 item each. The other 8 slots are left blank.

2) When the BNR is open please first request who you would like to buy from. Then wait for the OK before buying and posting the transaction link(s). Transaction links MUST be current items bought by you during this BNR.

The first 4 to claim and buy from a seller who has not been bought from yet will get 2 of the empty slots.

3) This round will have a $15.00 minimum buy-in. That can include more than one lower-priced piece which totals at least $15.00, one or more substantial pieces, or a mix of price-points which adds up to or exceeds the buy-in minimum.

4) Once all slots are filled it will revert to a regular BNR treasury (1 slot per 1 bought out), although please continue to show love to the 2D art sellers who've not yet sold if at all possible.

The $15.00 buy-in minimum applies for the duration.

Note: Please buy within 10 minutes of claiming your seller to insure your spot.

Browse the following featured shops ahead of time at your liesure and have something special picked out in time to buy-in, as the opprtunity to have 2 spots for 1 purchase is limited to the first 4 buyers! The early bird gets the worm!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/PainterlyPetPortrait

http://www.etsy.com/shop/NewCreatioNZ

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Crystalphotography

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Nikonman

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Larrysartdirect

http://www.etsy.com/shop/laurali

http://www.etsy.com/shop/angeladesigns

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ElleJW

The Monday Promotional Frenzy BNRs are the ones to save your money for! If you've been absent lately we hope you'll come back for this irresistable assortment of items! It is a shopping experience you won't want to miss!

And...if I buy from you in our BNR Treasury you just might end up featured in this blog!

I bought some peanut butter cups in last Monday's BNR from PernillasSS.etsy.com and they came in the mail today after I'd been snowed-in with no mail service for a week. Boy were they good! I usually take pictures of products before I open them, and after but I couldn't wait to take a bite of these!

Here's what they look like, but the pictures in her shop don't even show just how beautiful they are! http://www.etsy.com/listing/61452491/gourmet-chocolate-peanut-butter-cups

They have a bronze metallic surface where the heart impression is on the top of each.
Here are my photos of them!

And the taste and texture? It is to die for! Creamy with just the right amount of sugar; not too much nor too little. They're substantial enough to be satisfying but you don't feel sick with sweet overload after eating them like you do with some chocolate. I ate 3 right off the bat and had to stop myself so that I'd have some left for later!

The orange chocolate truffles and fudge I got as samples are good too, but these peanut butter cups are my favorite!

2011-01-13T12:53:00.001-05:00

Mayor Kasim Reed Denies Atlanta Was "Not Prepared"

The Atlanta area deep freeze continues and with it comes a bit of controversy. New Mayor Kasim Reed appeared on Fox 5 News last night to answer questions regarding the city's readiness to respond to the snow and ice on roads. At first I watched without much opinion one way or the other, but as I listened to the course of events leading up to the cryogenic suspension of business as we know it what I heard truly pissed me off!

It was revealed last night that the city only had 10 snow ploughs of its own, then Tuesday, on the fly, contracted with private companies responsible for de-icing the roads. That is why they took as long as they did to come in and start shoveling and ploughing; too little too late.

Reed's answer to why he didn't deploy the needed resources as soon as the forecast came in warning of just how serious this storm was predicted to be was that "I don't believe it's a responsible investment to ramp up for a snow event that happens only every 15 years". That's his story and he seems to be sticking to it... Yeah, and my father's the Easter Bunny, LOL. Fantasies are fun sometimes, but ignorance isn't always bliss. Time to get real now.

Days after they were needed, 81 pieces of equipment are now being deployed. As of Tuesday 10 ploughs were increased to 21 pieces of equipment.

The Mayor's current plan is to contract for 40-60 pieces of equipment. One snow plough costs 1/2 Million dollars and Reed admits that to handle this storm 81 were needed "just to get our arms around" this storm. That does not inspire alot of confidence.

MARTA, Atlanta's public transportation system is still shut down except for the rail and a few regular bus routes, and its handicap service is "only transporting people who have medical emergencies" a representative in their dispatch department said this morning. When asked whether things would be back in operation tomorrow, the representative stated that it may not be, but that they can only speak for today, but just in case I rescheduled my trip to the Post Office yet again for the 3rd time this week!

Resources are being focused on the big roads and highways. Despite the relative clearing of those by the DOT, Highway 285 had 3 accidents today. The smaller streets are left to fend for themselves. Stone Mountain, where I live is made up of mostly smaller roads. I'm just hoping that transportation is back again before I start running out of necessities, and last night the news reported that many of the grocery stores were out of important items, as the delivery trucks were unable to get through. Gas stations are even running out of gas for those lucky enough to have a car. Lidded receptacles in the ground around the pumps where gas is normally put in by delivery trucks in many areas are iced shut and requires a jackhammer to open.

Things are expected to get a little better today but worse again tonight when the temperature goes down. Until the water evaporates the melting during daylight hours won't do much good.

I grew up in Baltimore where there was much more snow for most of the winter and I don't remember this happening there. Life went on, snow and ice notwithstanding.

In recent years Atlanta and its surrounding areas have had at least one bad snowstorm a year, so the Mayor's assessment that this only happens every 15 years doesn't really hold water. Granted this one is the worst we've had in awhile, but environmental changes have evolved to land us where we are today, and I think city and state officials should revise their idea that this happens only every 15 years and assume it will happen at some point every winter.

Fox 5 Interview with Kasim Reed:
http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/news/mayor-reed-discusses-citys-storm-response-011211

Costs to businesses:
http://www.cbsatlanta.com/news/26472573/detail.html

The cost to the city for this week alone is estimated to be as much as 2 million dollars.
http://wsbradio.com/localnews/2011/01/atlanta-learns-lesson-for-next.html

The sun is out and I have some supplies to photograph while the light is good, unlike the above picture showing a dark and deserted street. a day or so ago My street is still deserted but alot brighter today.

Next on the agenda is some work on my beadwoven jewelry. I can't imagine this shutdown will last past the weekend, so by all means please keep ordering jewelry; it shouldn't be too much longer before I can ship;

http://Giftbearer.etsy.com

and for jewelry supplies:

http://GiftbearerSupply.etsy.com

2011-01-12T12:46:00.001-05:00

Giftbearer Lining Up New Items and Waiting Out the Snow

The way things have been snowed in here since Sunday night you'd think we lived in Alaska but it's only Georgia which rarely gets this type of snow for more than 1 day at a time. Carmella loves it, but so much for "not wind, or snow, nor dark of night"... (or something like that; I can't fully remember that quote).

The city has been pretty much on lockdown with GA. Dept. Of Transportation issuing travel advisories because of icy road conditions. A pregnant pause seems to hang in the cold winter air here.

I've finished my recent custom ordered Early Budding Vine bracelet, Aurora Borealis as of Sunday night and was on the phone for 15 minutes just to find out that public transportation (even that disability service I take) is only taking Dialysis patients, so I guess my plan to get to the Post Office today was wishful thinking. I usually ship promptly, so I hope my customers will understand and that nobody will miss a gift-giving deadline or anything. I was also expecting to receive an Aquamarine cab this past Monday coming from a state in the Northeast. I'm getting a little nervous because no mail has even been coming to the house.

I rescheduled my trip to the local Post Office once again for tomorrow and will hope for the best. Hopefully things in the city and surrounding suburbs will be back to their normal operations by then. I also need to get a few things at the grocery store while I'm there. The shopping center with Post Office where I go to mail my packages also has a Publix in it, so I usually kill two birds with one stone when I have orders that need to go out.

Here are some pictures I took of bracelet #5 in the series. The only silver lining in my not having a way to get to the Post office and the lack of mail service the past several days is that I have had the opportunity to have it awhile longer and take some better pictures. Each day the lighting has been a little brighter, so maybe that's a sign that this ice on the roads will melt soon.

Aurora Borealis-Early Budding Vine Bracelet #5

Last night after the 9 PM Promotional Frenzy I checked my e-mail and found that one of the PMC websites was having a competition. The site sells supplies and tools and prizes include gift certificates for items they sell to artists, and to all applicants who submit 5 entries of different metal clay pieces they are giving away a free metal clay calendar compiled by Holly Gage (while they last)! One of my bracelets was featured in a prevous issue and the past year or so I had forgotten the deadline to submit my items for that, but when I had the calender it was one of my favorites of any calender I've had on my wall. The variety of things people do with this medium is always inspiring and I never tire of looking at them.

I've been adjusting my descriptions today on these to freshen up the content for Google and Etsy searches, then Tweeting, as I want to continue to sell these while the iron is hot!

If I can sell one or two more (the last earnings had to go toward bills) just maybe then I will have enough money to buy the kiln I've been wanting! I have big plans for all kinds of cool hollowforms with fire-in-place settings that I can't do on my gas stove. I just love all things 3D, and I have new designs just waiting for the right equipment to make them manifest.

If you love the Early Budding Vine bracelets you haven't seen anything yet!

Right now I've got some beadwoven pieces in the works and need to finish those up while I'm stuck inside. With the holiday preparations and the custom order I had to put several of those on the back burner for awhile.

I've also got some soldered mealwork pieces in-progress that need to be completed, photographed and listed, and more soldered ones planned, especially big bezeled ones that I have in short supply at the present time.

There are a few new supplies to photograph and list too.

The Monday BNR Treasury has kept me very busy, especially the roll-out for the new Specialty BNR format. We are alternating one week a regular general medium BNR, then the other week, a specialty one. Next week's will be featuring 2D art, focusing on Fine Art; drawing, painting, and photography.

After the holidays it seems that everybody under the sun on Etsy has started doing BNR Treasuries on the same day as ours, and that has impacted Promotional Frenzy's number of sales, but considering that handicap I thnk the increased buy-in price (increased from $3.50 to $8.00 for the general BNR, and increased from $3.50 - $15.00 for the Specialty BNR) has been successful and most buyers are adapting well. I look forward to seeing what thread members reap from this in the future as we continue to break new ground and challenge long-held BNR stereotypes. Can higher-priced things sell in a BNR setting? I believe they can! We are only limited by the parameters of our own imagination, and my recent custom order is evidence that higher-priced things can and are selling on Etsy! One can have fun without sacrificing profit and making a living wage. The two need not be mutually exclusive. I am really intrigued and excited about this prospect and the opportunity to test out this theory.

2011-01-08T03:06:00.000-05:00

Valentine's Day is Coming Sooner Than You Think!

Be Ready for that special day

You never know what unique goodies you're going to find in the Promotional Frenzy BNR Treasury!

This coming Monday, January 10th from 4:00 PM - 1:00 AM EST we have some special treats for you!

I got it made a few days early during our thread's Treasury Day and now all you shoppers have 2 1/2 days to go window shopping in some fascinating Etsy shops to pick out something at your liesure in advance of our opening.

I have left the link visible rather than just putting a list of links in my blog as I have done in the past.

The above bowl of anatomical hearts is brought to you by bubblegenius, a bath and body shop with some avante garde products you would never imagine.

Here's the link to the upcoming BNR;

Feel The Love;

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d27d19b36b86d91fe50bc7e/closed-until-monday-400-pm-est-feel-the#4d27ffd0a9fb8eef0569b607

Please click, comment, and take some time looking at all the exciting things offered. Then bring your shopping list on Monday and jump right in. Your sweety will appreciate that you went out of your way to get her something she'll love, or if you are the one to receive a gift this Valentine's day be sure to send your hubby or significant other over there and let them know what you like from these sellers.

If you're a buyer only and don't have an Etsy shop you can play too! Just let us know and if you would like to pick a replacement shop from your favorites that can fill the spot of the person you're buying from.

Last week's jewelry specific BNR went well. Almost all the featured jewelry sellers got bought out and because this was the first of it's kind we didn't see high volume sales like has been typical in most of our BNRs but I believe it's only a matter of time before the buying public gets used to buying higher priced things through BNRs.

We will alternate from week to week; doing a regular BNR with a mix of different categories, and then do a specialty one. There are more categories I want to work on and we will eventually do these more than once to build up a market for each over time.

You never know, this might become the next shopping craze of the future!

2011-01-02T04:26:00.005-05:00

Promotional Frenzy Presents; Jewelry-lovers BNR Treasury

MONDAY, JANUARY 3RD 4:00 PM - 1 AM EST

*************************************************

Copper Necklace Agate Keshi Pearl

Prittyfy

$29.00

This Monday's BNR is a special one. We are trying something new this time to increase the average pricepoint in BNRs and to promote jewelry (which is one of the most difficult items to sell on Etsy).

This is how it works;

1) First we will have 8 jewelry sellers with 1 item each in the BNR. The other 8 slots are left blank.

2) The first 4 people to buy from one of those sellers will get 2 slots each. (These first 4 buyers do not replace the sellers they buy from, but instead take two of the empty slots).

3) This round will have a $15.00 minimum buy-in. That can include more than one lower-priced piece which totals at least $15.00, one or more substantial pieces, or a mix of price-points which adds up to or exceeds the buy-in minimum.

4) Once all slots are filled it will revert to a regular BNR treasury (1 slot per 1 bought out), although we encourage people to continue to show love to the remaining jewelry sellers if at all possible. Think of anybody you know who would love to receive jewelry or buy something special for yourself that maybe you've been eyeing for awhile but have yet to purchase.

This way we encourage buyers to buy thoughtful things they really like; not just the least expensive item to get into the treasury.

Posted below are the 8 shop links so that you can have time before opening to look through the shops at your liesure and choose something special without having to rush through them during the excitement of the BNR when it goes live.

http://calliopeazcreations.etsy.com/
http://galla15.etsy.com/
http://giftbearer.etsy.com/
http://krystalsjewelry.etsy.com/
http://prittyfy.etsy.com/
http://charmeddesign1012.etsy.com/
http://lbtoyos.etsy.com/
http://sabtisdesigns.etsy.com/

*************************************************

The link to the BNR Treasury link ; Go here!
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d223b72d7698eef107e43b7/jewelry-lovers-bnr#4d223bcf83696d91b02f1980

Be sure to visit the Promotional Frenzy thread on Etsy for more information about all of our activities. Read the first page and visit the links to read all the details about how to get involved with the group.
www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6732302

2010-12-26T17:57:00.007-05:00

New Goals for a New Year!

8 1/4" - 8 1/2" Heavy Gauge Sterling Bracelet

http://www.etsy.com/listing/64768559/heavy-gauge-sterling-silver-bracelet

To Do List:

1) Spend More Time Making Jewelry

2) Source Stones for Copper Flower Line

3) Create Several Elaborate Copper Flower Necklaces and Matching Earrings like this one; http://www.etsy.com/transaction/31044258

4) Create More Metal Clay Pieces

5) Source Some Interesting New Items To Sell in My Supply Shop

6) Steadily Increase Sales in Both Jewelry and Supply Shops
http://Giftbearer.etsy.com/

http://Giftbearersupply.etsy.com/

7) Save Up for a Kiln

8) Look for a Southwestern/Native American Gallery/Store Through Which to Sell my Rainstick Necklace Line.

2010-12-13T15:58:00.000-05:00

Go Here To Enter BNR Treasury!

Candy Cane 'N Spearmint Promotional Frenzy BNR

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d06871babec8eef34ae1134/candy-cane-n-spearmint-promotional?index=0

2010-12-10T23:22:00.003-05:00

An Etsy Brunch

I had the most delicious meal today made almost exclusively from food items I got from various Etsy sellers!

A Tangerine from http://www.etsy.com/shop/CalliopeAZCreations , Chocolate 'N Peanut Butter cookies and Pretzel Bagel, included as free samples in an order of Original Pretzel Bread Nuggets from http://www.etsy.com/shop/MissMunchie , and Chocolate Cookie Sandwiches with Espresso Cream Filling from http://www.etsy.com/shop/MochaLatteDa (which came with a little sample of Custom Blended Coffee beans).

The pretzel bread (nuggets and bagel) is the perfect texture; slightly crunchy on the outside when heated, and moist and tender insidewith a slight bit of bounce like a good sourdough! It has sea salt sprinkled on the surface giving it a nice salty flavor.

The Chocolate 'N Peanut Butter Cookies have just the right proportions of peanut butter to chocolate. I'm not usually a big fan of peanut butter in cookies, but the way Miss Munchie makes them I just love them! There are peanut butter chips in these like the chocolate chips in regular chocolate chip cookies. I would definitely buy those and if I had not received that sample I probably would never have known they were this good and might not have ever tried them.

The Tangerines came in a medium Priority Flat Rate box and there were 44 of them (I think). They arrived in great condition and still had some leaves and stems attached. They are the most vibrant bright orange color,

and I found out they would fill 3 plastic grocery store produce bags!

Upon peeling one open I found the flavor to be so much better than the commercially grown ones I bought a few weeks ago at Kroger. Marianne, the shop owner says she doesn't do anything special; just uses regular citrus fertilizer, and gives them lots of water. The Arizona weather and soil conditions must have been just right because the result is no less than luscious!

And, yes folks! They are sweet and juicy (see the juice on the plate above). You will not want to miss these. Get yours before she runs out. You can purchase about 7.5 Lbs. of these beauties in CalliopeAZ's Etsy shop for $20.00 (which includes shipping). http://www.etsy.com/listing/64086674/arizona-tangerines-hand-picked-straight

"The dogs get very excited when I pick the tangerines" she says. "I usually peel one and share it with them. I used to have one dog that would pick her own, make a hole in the skin and eat the insides."

I'll have to try that with Carmella and see if she likes them too! She probably will beause she loves honeydew melon and canteloup.

Here are some pictures of the tree they came from. It looks very healthy and vigorous!

Just look at all the foliage and all those clusters of fruit!

The Chocolate Cookie Sandwiches are being gobbled up quickly! They are nice and soft but not chewy, with a somewhat cake-like texture, and the filling is delectible! If you are a die-hard coffee-lover you should order some of these! They'd be great to serve your holiday guests or bring to the office Christmas party, or buy some as a gift for somebody special.

A set of 12 is $10.00 and included with them is a 1 oz. sample of Pumpkin Spice Coffee Beans.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/59699137/chocolate-cookie-sandwiches-with-custom?ref=pr_shop

My laptop is finally back from the shop after having its screen replaced and so Promotional Frenzy will have it's weekly Monday BNR again from 4:00 PM EST - 1:00 AM this coming Monday, December 13th. Check this blog and the thread http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6699630&page=1 for the link as it gets closer to opening time.

You will have the opportunity to purchase the above items and more from great shops on Etsy! Join us for fun and profit and start or complete your holiday shopping while you get your shop featured in place of those you buy from!

Go Here To Enter BNR Treasury!

Candy Cane 'N Spearmint Promotional Frenzy BNR
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d06871babec8eef34ae1134/candy-cane-n-spearmint-promotional?index=0

2010-12-06T17:28:00.001-05:00

Shop For a New Bracelet in Warm Rich Autumn Colors!

Spirit of Change 3-strand gemstone, sterling silver and lampwork bracelet

$95.00

http://www.etsy.com/listing/63698602/3-strand-gemstone-sterling-silver-and

My latest is just packed full of unique and interesting gemstones!

Lovely shades of juicy orange Carnelian, Apple green Afghani Jade rondelles, crisp primo faceted Peridot, sterling silver feathers, warn brown Blonde Onyx (also from Afghanistan), interspersed with metallic copper colored glass, with a swirly encased moss green lampwork focal provide you a cornucopia of interesting shapes and colors to wear on your wrist.

With the crisp transition from Fall to Winter on a global and spititual level many things are percolating in preparation for the New Year; a time for storing up energy, organizing ideas, and laying groundwork for the road ahead, for new and exciting ventures.

This is the inner work we do to prepare for the outer work; every bit as important. Even animals do this. Bears hibernate, squirrels gather nuts and store them away for leaner times when food is scarce, and trees slough off old leaves preparing for the new growth which is to come.

This bracelet is very centering to the spirit and prepares you for the next chapter in your life; both exciting and rich.

It measures 8 1/2" and has a sterling silver lobster claw clasp.

It is topped off with a nice little cluster of charms on the ring the clasp goes into; a carved Carnelian feather, two sterling feathers, and green and white freshwater pearls (the green pearls includes some matching Afgani Jade and faceted Peridot).

Shipping to US destinations will include insurance and ship Priority Mail through December 25th.
If this is to be a Christmas present please order by December 17th just to be on the safe side. I am willing to giftwrap anything I offer in my shop through the holidays at no extra charge. Just ask in the buying message (or in a convo beforehand).

As you do your holiday shopping keep an eye on my shop, as I will be adding even more unique jewelry in the weeks leading up to the holidays, and remember; the best form of flattery to an artist is a purchase (especially repeat purchases), so if you like it follow up those hearts and go ahead and treat yourself or someone you care about to the finer things in life always crafted with high quality materials, and the experience, and skill of nearly 27 years.

http://Giftbearer.etsy.com

2010-12-01T10:41:00.002-05:00

SOLO FRENZY for BijiBijoux

http://www.etsy.com/shop/BijiBijoux

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Bronze Gold Faceted Crystal Dangle Necklace

$22.40

Wednesday, Dec 1st at 9:00pm EST!!

Please be here tonight on the Promotional Frenzy forum thread!

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6699630&page=1

Necklaces + bracelets 20% off

Earrings 15% off

Supplies 5% off

(Prices reduced already for you on Etsyonsale)

http://www.etsyonsale.com/shop/BijiBijoux

2010-11-26T16:29:00.002-05:00

Black Friday and Cyber Monday Shopping? You Never Know What You Might Find Until You Really Look

I focus on offering everyday value and specialized, unique, and quality items, but look around; you might just find some great deals!

http://Giftbearer.etsy.com - Give the gift of jewelry; but not just any jewelry, these pieces are not what you see all over etsy or in the big box stores. Although I do carry some stocking stuffers such as the earrings you see above, I put hours, days, sometimes weeks of labor into many of my pieces of jewelry and your loved-ones will really appreciate the workmanship and the fact that nobody else will be wearing the identical item.

If you make jewelry or are looking for a gift for someone who does you might want to browse my Etsy supply store. This Cactus Quartz is just one of the exciting items I offer as creative fuel for your unique designs ;

http://giftbearersupply.etsy.com/ - Give the gift of supplies this year; always useful. I go to great lengths not to be like all the other supply sellers and to offer something different although along with it I also offer findings and staple items so that you can make this a one-stop shop.

More Cactus Quartz being added in interesting shapes and formations; no two exactly alike! Stay tuned!

My customers have been pleased with what they've received from me and I'm sure you will too.

Make use of my combined shipping and load up your cart. Expedited (Priority) US shipping offered on many of my jewelry items and some supplies.

Shop now, skip the malls, and get everyone covered on your gift list;

http://giftbearer.etsy.com/

http://giftbearersupply.etsy.com/

2010-11-24T18:37:00.001-05:00

To Sale or Not To Sale...That is the Question

Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving and all through the house, not a creature was stirring...Woops, wrong holiday, but seriously the day has been eerily quiet here except for a man calling my house asking if I could make his wife some earrings out of a pair of teeth from an Elk he bagged himself.

I must be on some business listing because this isn't the first call like this I've received although most of them are looking for ring-resizing and that kind of commercial thing. I don't normally have customers come to the house and I'm limited in transportation so don't generally meet them in other places just to "talk" about placing a custom order because each trip out costs me money, and as this particular fellow seemed very nervous about how the roots of these teeth would be cut off, so I was really afraid to attempt it. I suggested leaving the roots on and just doing some beadweaving around them, but he said his wife was a small woman and probably wouldn't wear something so big. He really wanted earrings made rather than a necklace, and the roots were long. I can imagine so, but never actually having seen an Elk's tooth I don't fully know what they look like.

I offered to have him upload pictures on Etsy but he said he was no good at that kind of thing, and that these teeth were "like hair; when it's cut there's no putting it back on". He ended up telling me he'd do some thinking and get back to me next week, left me his name, and wished me a Happy Thanksgiving.

Perhaps he is not my customer. If he is he will come back and put in the custom order through Etsy.

I've been giving some thought to a Black Friday and Cyber Monday special of some kind but am having trouble getting in the mood for a number of reasons; sales have not really worked for me in the past and on Etsy there's no easy way to put some specific things on sale. Also, I keep thinking about what Suze Orman says about not putting yourself on sale;

"Don't treat yourself like you're on sale. If you're reluctant to put a real value on what you do, then it diminishes who you are". As Suze explains, women tend to devalue what they do.

This creates a vicious cycle: "When you devalue what you do, it becomes inevitable that you -- and those around you -- devalue who you are." Women will settle for less. They may offer discounted prices on their services or accept a smaller raise, even when the company is doing well. They have to ask for what they know is "right."

Suze says, "Remember to muster up your courage and silence your fear ... keep your eye on the goal, on what you really want to accomplish, no matter what anyone says or does to deter you. Just keep moving forward."

(Source: http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/108029/top-10-money-tips-for-women?mod=oneclick)

It is a weighty question to ask yourself just how much and which kinds of specials one can offer without diminishing the perceived value of the product you are offering, and I don't know if there is any hard and fast answer.

One thing I believe I have figured out is that having a discount doesn't create demand. It merely makes those products a little more accessible to those who already want them.

If someone goes to the grocery store and wants corn on the cob and broccoli is on sale, chances are they won't buy it for the price because if they leave the store with a bunch of broccoli the problem of their wanting corn on the cob still remains. This leaves the customer in the position that they must spend yet more money than if they'd just left the discounted broccoli alone and spent a little more for the one item they really wanted.

This is why it is so important when devising specials to do them sparingly and in a targeted way so that they will result in substantial enough purchases!

2010-11-20T02:29:00.001-05:00

Cactus Quartz - One of the Earth's Most Interesting Curiosities

I first became acquainted with Cactus Quartz at a gem and bead show earlier this year while looking at the table of a lapidary guy from Florida. The unusual crystal I held in my hand didn't look like any Amethyst I'd ever seen before, but he told me that in fact it was Amethyst which had grown smaller crystals around the main central point and upon which a layer of Citrine had grown on top of that layer because of certain volcanic and mineral conditions. The first one I started with was sort of an experiment to see if it would sell and I still have it, but I began to get lots of inquiries about it and potential buyers started bookmarking it. Some people wrote and asked me if I had any smaller ones that could be used in rings, so then I bought two more (those two of the variety you see in the picture above; more purple and with little or no Citrine in it).

Then I got a custom order for 10, so I thought, "This could really become popular" and I embarked upon a journey into the world of importing gemstones. I had bought a few things here and there from India and Thailand, but this was the first real wholesale import I had done and it was a little scary but alot exciting! Since the particular supplier I was ordering from was located in South Africa where these stones are mined I was able to get them for a better price than anyplace I could order them in the US, and I checked several South African suppliers but none of the others had the top purple material you see here! One of the others I spoke with almost laughed when I mentioned the ones he showed on his website were too pale for my taste and when I asked him if he had any with more intense color. He told me that only about 2% of the material that comes out of the ground is purple and most is pale lavender. He only gets the top purple material once or twice a year and it's sold out within a week's time. He never gets advance notice as to when it will be available. While I was looking around doing an exhaustive search I saw many that were even white or colorless with not even a hint of purple; technically not Amethyst yet still considered Cactus Quartz. They can come in Smokey Quartz too.

The other supplier did not have a Paypal account, doing all of her transactions by direct bank draft, and had no credit card processing capability, and she had up until now only dealt with big dealers who usually ordered at least 20 Kilos at a time. The supplier and I talked by e-mail on a daily basis for about 2 weeks while she set up a Paypal account and I set up an account with a particular courior. Shipping could be either expensive, or if I chose South Africa's Air Freight it could take 12 weeks, and I knew I couldn't wait that long. Knowing I needed to strike while the iron was hot I went with the more expensive but faster courior and after several misquotes from them they gave me the correct shipping quote (while still expensive, not enough to make me bolt and conclude I'd lost my mind, LOL).

The 1 Kilo of stones arrive even a little earlier in the morning than predicted (and in 4 days), and as I excitedly opened the box tightly sealed on all sides with brown glossy packing tape, I was elated to find 107 beautifully glistening purple crystals intact and carefully wrapped. They were all 2 inches or shorter, as requested, and there was an assortment of crystal formations. Some were long and rather phallic, whereas others were more stubby and had more tiny secondary crystals growing around them, and some were closer to flat general clusters whose host crystal was less defined apart from the others. A few have twin central crystals!

Many of these could be used in rings, being about an inch long. That size is hard to come by and that size in the most sought-after purple is really hard to come by! I may need to order more sooner that I think!

If you do wire-wrapping or stone setting and you like to make creative bezel or prong settings to fit one-of-a-kind stones I highly recommend you buy some of these when I get them listed because those in the know really want this material! The market price here in the US is on the rise and some of my sources have told me it is becoming more and more difficult to find. When/if the mines run out it will only be obtainable from old stock which was previously purchased.

Some of you may be aware of other stones like Tourmaline, for instance that has skyrocketed in price because it is either rare, no longer found at all, or is dangerous to mine because of civil unrest in a region or armed bandits looking to make money themselves. All or any one of these conditions can affect market price, so it's good to get in ahead of the game.

History of Cactus Quartz:

The stone was first discovered in 1986, believed to have come from "Magaliesberg" but there was some confusion about the more specific location. This may have been intentional to prevent anybody and everybody from going on the premises and pilfering the newly discovered find. Then after a few years the story given at trade shows changed to reflect "Marble Hall" as the locale; a small town about 120 km north-east of Pretoria.

Since then the story has changed a third time and it is said to be found near the former Boutenhouthoek and Mathys Zyn Loop Farms, approximately 45 km South-west of "Marble Hall", and 80 km North-east of Pretoria.

The mining is done rather informally by local farmers. These special stones are found in quartz veins imbedded in granite of the Bushveld intrusion complex believed to be 2 billions years old, but it is not known how old the quartz is that the crystals grow in, nor how old the Cactus Quartz crystals themselves are. On some pieces there are still parts of this matrix attached.

Cactus Quartz is referred to by local tribal medicine men as "Spirit Quartz", having been used in healing rituals. Metaphysical practitioners here in the US believe Cactus Quartz has strong energy compounded by the many tiny crystals surrounding the central one, and that the stone helps in focus, group cooperation and unification, and is used to provide insight into family or community problems.

Composition and properties;

It is a silicon dioxide mineral and has a Moh's hardness of 7. The crystal ranges from transparent to translucent, and has a hexagonal, trigonal crystal structure.

http://www.quartzpage.de/amethyst.html

http://www.thecrystalcache.com/product-cards/cactus-quartz-spirit-quartz-description

http://rasben.net/links/website/links/articles/spiritquartz.html

(Other sources not disclosed).

Watch my Etsy store for these beautiful stones as I start listing them individually. You can buy them here; http://giftbearersupply.etsy.com/

2010-11-17T03:20:00.002-05:00

Promotional Frenzy is on a Roll!

I just had to give an update on how the Promotional Frenzy thread is doing! Things are really picking up momentum, and it's paying off for more and more people!

The above treasury appeared on Etsy and apparently was picked up by some big name blog because tonight the creator of it, http://bijibijoux.etsy.com/ reported that it was getting a tremendous number of hits and was at the top of the treasury chart which includes literally hundreds; it was definitely getting more attention than what normal Etsy traffic would have brought it. I couldn't go in and look directly because I am on my old desktop computer which almost completely conked out during the BNR treasury on Monday night, so http://jqjewelrydesigns.etsy.com/ got me a screen shot of it. My laptop is going to the shop in the morning and I hope to have it fixed by next Monday's BNR treasury. Despite having to get http://galla15.etsy.com/ to pinch hit halfway through, the BNR generated alot of interest in the thread itself, and a fair amount of overall sales although not as many as the week before. Etsy was running funkily as well.

(By the way, my necklace is the big sterling leaf in the middle).

Things are moving again for me too. Tonight really paid off!

There were 35 participants at the Tuesday Frenzy event at 9:00 PM and the larger number seemed to really increase everyone's overall item views. We probably won't know all the results from this event for another 2 days. Sometimes people make sales from it over a period of a few days; not always on the day of the event. I predict we will be hearing from participants about more sales between now and the end of the week.

It's as if a huge wave or a freight train is heading down a steep incline propelled by its own weight.

To get on the train follow the track here;

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6685029&page=1

2010-11-15T00:40:00.001-05:00

Delectible, and Always So Yummy; It's Time for Promotional Frenzy's Record-Breaking Monday BNR!

These Cinnamon Carmels brought to you by The Caramel Jar

Don't you just love the taste of cinnamon on a cold winter day, sprinkled on your buttered toast, in your tea or coffee, in those delicious comfort foods you remember growing up?

Cinnamon brings us feelings of warmth and comfort, and reminds us of happy times, the aromas of the Holidays, and the satisfaction of knowing the homefire's burning while we are nestled in our beds, or in front of the computer or TV, comfy and cozy, safe from the elements outdoors as the temperature plunges.

The subtle clink of the spoon as we stir and drink our warm beverages, the twinkling lights on a decorated tree, and the anticipation of what surprises are to come, and visits from those near and dear fills our hearts with love and sentiment and brings a reflective smile to our faces.

Come join us and recapture that feeling again!

Click, comment, and shop for some wonderful gifts while you browse these shops and get your shop featured.

Monday, November 15th

4:00 PM - 1:00 AM EST

Cinnamon Promotional Frenzy BNR

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4cdfda0f3c4f8eefc115d766/cinnamon-promotional-frenzy-bnr

(Link will become visible at opening)

Featured are;

http://www.etsy.com/shop/soapopotamus

http://www.etsy.com/shop/lhconfections

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Giftbearer

http://www.etsy.com/shop/cathydailey

http://www.etsy.com/shop/galla15

http://www.etsy.com/shop/KMKnitDesigns

http://www.etsy.com/shop/MeadowSky

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Funkyarns

http://www.etsy.com/shop/soonerdesigner

http://www.etsy.com/shop/BellesGems

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheCaramelJar

http://www.etsy.com/shop/soapysoaps

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TurtleXIII

http://www.etsy.com/shop/SunnyCrystals

http://www.etsy.com/shop/bijouxpaperie

http://www.etsy.com/shop/burnabe3

We totalled 79 sales last week!

Let's see if we can make 100!

2010-11-09T20:23:00.003-05:00

Pumpkin Pie is A Turn-on BNR 58 bought out - 79 sales Total!

Last night's Promotional Frenzy Buy and Replace Treasury set new records, with sales numbers totalling 79!

The marathon lasted 17 hours in all and by 10 PM or so sales were coming in at full throttle! Some sellers' items were bought out almost faster than we could get them in, and some made multiple sales in one evening, buying back in and being bought out again! It was a little like day trading, although the pages had to be refreshed manually in order to see the transaction links as they were posted.

I truly wondered for a time there whether we were going to "break the treasury" with all of our volume!

At some point we had to move to a new location because after about 32 pages things got kind of buggy and we couldn't post anymore comments.

Here is the link to where we moved to; http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4cd880914f496d918e0dc9fd/closed-pumpkin-pie-is-a-turn-on-bnr-58

Some of our newly invited guests have since come to the thread. We have a shorter event planned for 9:00 PM EST tonight. Our Tuesday Promotional Frenzy is taking place and you may add one item of yours to the list to be Tweeted, stumbled, etc., just make sure that you also promote the other items on the list at 9:00.

Here is a full description of the thread and everything we're doing; http://galla15.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-promotional-frenzy-thread-huge.html

and here is a link so that you can get quickly and easily to the thread for tonight's promotion; http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?page=514&thread_id=6663721

See you there :-)