3 in 1

Decided to make a treasury inspired by all of the rain and thunderstorms we've had lately here in South Carolina.

I also had two of my prints to be in two treasuries .  Check 'em out below.

Cruise 2011

Hello all! As promised, I have some photos of the cruise and two videos =) I'm currently working on a video of the Dream Works: Move It! Move It! Parade, but my video editor wasn't wanting to be nice. I will post it when I get it made though =) Since I have sooo many photos, I will provide links below [the photos] for additional photos =) I had a wonderful time. It was much bigger than the previous cruise I had went on, but I wasn't too impressed with the food on the larger boat =/ Now what I was impressed with was Burger King's food in Grand Cayman. They have what fast food food is supposed to be. It was soooo much better than the Burger King's here. Not to mention, the people were nicer than here. We were trying to figure out where the beach was & a customer happened to hear us & told us exactly how to get there. Very friendly. That would never happen here, lol. Of all the places we went to, Grand Cayman was my favorite. There's much more stuff to do there without worrying about if you're going to get left.



Funny Haiti Wood Carving - VIDEO
FlowRider - VIDEO

Cruise 2011
Mexico
Grand Cayman
Haiti
Jamaica
Dream Works: Move It! Move It!

PSN Class Action Lawsuit Filed

The Rothken law firm has filed a federal class action lawsuit against Sony on behalf of "approximately 77 million" PlayStation Network users who are unable to access the PSN. According to the suit, Sony failed to maintain a proper firewall and "computer security system," "failure to properly encrypt data," "unauthorized storage and retention of data," and violation of "Payment Card Industry Data Standard(s) and rules and regulations." The suit categorizes the time between Sony learning of the problem and informing the public as an undue delay, saying that it prevented consumers from making informed decision as to "whether to change credit card numbers, close the exposed accounts, check their credit reports, or take other mitigating actions."

Read more HERE.

You can view the complaint here.

L.O.V.E

"Love is like a butterfly: chase it and it will fly away. Just sit there and it will come to you."

^^^Click image to go to treasury^^^

Butterfly Kisses

May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun
And find your shoulder to light on,
To bring you luck, happiness and riches
Today, tomorrow and beyond.

^^^Click image to go to treasury^^^

First Ever Giveaway!!!

I am hosting a giveaway. The winner will receive one 4x6 of any print in my shop. There are 8 ways to enter with a total of 16 entries. That's 16 chances to win!

Rules:

1) Must follow this blog (mandatory)

2) Tweet about this +1 entry (include the tweet link)

3) Follow me on twitter +1 entry (include your Twitter name)

4) Blog about this +3 entries (include the blog link)

5) Favorite item in my shop & why? +2 entries

6) Heart my shop on Etsy +1 (leave your Etsy name)

7) Heart my other two shops: Black Water FX and Tie Me Up +2 entries (leave your Etsy name)

8) Get others to participate + 5 entries (the person must say in a comment that you told them about this)

Please leave each entry in separate comments (example: if you blog about this, leave 3 seperate comments stating you did). Make sure you have your e-mail address with each entry as well. #2-#8 are optional, but #1 is required. Deadline April 30, 2011 @ 11:59pm EST.

Favorite Friday

As you all know (or may not know), I love video games. I decided to make this post of my top 10 (in no particular order) favorite gaming items from Etsy. Since I was brought up on the NES, these will most likely be "old school". Don't forget to check out the videos at the end ;) Enjoy =)


iPhone Docking Station NES Controller by: Geekish Modifications
Price: $31.99


NES Tetris 1TB Hard Drive by: 8 Bit Memory
Price: $169.99


Legend of Zelda Nintendo Fabric Make-up Bag / Pouch by: Krafty Minds
Price: $7.99


GameCube Desktop Organizer by: Green Cub
Price: $49.00


MARIO 16 bit Nintendo Character Cushion by: The Comfy Geek
Price: $30.00


Yoshi Egg Belly Ring by: Rainbow Kid Shop
Price: $12.00


Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt Clutch by: Sugar Shox Crafts
Price: $35.00


Nintendo Controller Glitter Picture by: Glitter Mortis
Price: $45.00


Pac Man Bots by: William Dohman
Price: $70.00


Legend of Zelda: Link Graphic T-Shirt by: Eagle Eye Designs
Price: $18.00

Hope you enjoyed my top 10 & I hope you all have a fabulous Friday & a wonderful weekend ^.^

It's a Southern Thang

^^^Click image to go to treasury^^^

Rate Me =)

Good evening bloggers, just letting you all know that you can now rate this blog. If you look in the upper right side, you'll see a rating icon/image. I signed up on Blogged and my blog was rated 7.5 out of 10. Not bad I'd say. :) You can rate it by clicking here & click on Review This Blog. If you submit a review (& I hope you do), please keep the following four things in mind:

1. Do not write personal attacks on the author or other users. Please focus your critique on the just the blog.
2. Do not promote a site in your review.
3. Please don't use curse words in your review.
4. Do not write incentive reviews. The "I gave you a 10, now you do the same" type of reviews will be not be accepted.

Blogged can delete or edit any comments that are abusive, considered spam, use foul language or are off-topic.

With that being said, please review/comment this blog on the link.

Santa Clause is Coming to Town...

In 15 days that is :D In the meantime, check out my Santa filled treasury & enjoy the song below it.

^^^Click image to go to treasury^^^

A big surprise from Canada

I got a big surprise in the mail today. It was a package from Canada.


A few weeks ago, I won $100 store credit from a giveaway Crystal Gayle Photography was having. I picked out three prints from her shop. I got the prints today & they are lovely. I hadn't heard from her since Nov 16, so this was quite a surprise :)


I got a 5x7 of Reflection, a 11x14 of History, and a 4x6 of Window Reflections. Now I have to get some frames & frame these. Can't wait to get 'em up on the wall :-)

Rosey Finch

Today's feature comes to us from RoseyFinch in. Sit back & enjoy this wonderful Q&A. Don't forget to check her out on Etsy. Also, December 11-12 RoseyFinch will be at the Lucid Stage Craft Festival on Baxter Blvd in Portland Maine.

Q How did you come up with your shop name?
A When I was starting the line for this shop, I already had one other Etsy shop. I was opening RoseyFinch so I could have a place for my nicer, more high end items. I was struggling to find a new name because I needed it to be original and also to fit well with my first shop, BlueSky. I fretted over the new name for days. I wandered around the house, thinking out loud, being highly distressed, and annoying my boyfriend. Finally one night as I was lying in bed, all upset because I still didn't have a name, it suddenly just popped into my head. RoseyFinch. I proceeded to wake my poor boyfriend up and tell him the great news. The next day, I opened my shop!

Q How did you hear about Etsy?
A I heard about Etsy from a friend. I was trying to figure out how to sell the things I was making and she suggested I check it out.

Q How long have you been on Etsy?
A My first shop has been on Etsy for nearly a year, but I opened up RoseyFinch last summer (in June, I think).

Q Is Etsy a full time job or something you do on the side?
A Etsy is what I do on the side, but I would like it to be full time. I'm an art student at UMaine, and very busy with that, so my time for an actual job is extremely limited. It would be nice if my Etsy picked up enough to actually pay more than just the electric bill.

Q Since you make handmade items, do you buy handmade as well?
A I buy handmade whenever possible. I actually feel a little guilty when I buy something from a factory because I'd rather be supporting an artist.

Q Do you prefer handmade over factory made?
A I absolutely prefer handmade over factory. Lately I've really tried to stop buying anything that I could make myself or afford to buy from a mall business owner.

Q What is one of your favorite items that you've made?
A One of my favorite items I've made is actually a toy theater for my sculpture class that's not ever done yet. I'm an amateur woodworker, but I still love it :) As far as Etsy shop, though, I think my favorite is this feather headband.

Q What's the hardest part about the items you make?
A The hardest part is while buying supplies I get a little overexcited and have to remind myself to calm down and not buy too much, because I can't make it all. I just don't have time, or the money to put into it.

Q What inspires you?
A My inspiration comes from the world around me, and my daydreams. Sometimes I'll see someone walking around who just looks beautiful. Not necessarily their face or hair or clothes, but the colors they have on. Before I ordered my holiday supplies I saw a girl walking around campus dressed in such beautiful winter colors, and suddenly I knew what I wanted in the next few weeks. Sometimes my inspiration comes from movies with particularly stunning costumes. I also read Etsy's merchandising reports and that always gives me some ideas for colors and materials.

Q What would you say to a person just starting out in the handmade world?
A OH MY GOD DO YOUR RESEARCH! That's what Id say to someone just starting out. I literally spent hours and hours just surfing around looking for the most economical way to buy supplies before I bought anything, and even more hours and hours reading the above mentioned merchandising reports. IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO DO THAT! Otherwise, you'll just waste time and money.

Twitter: roseyfinchME
Tumblr: roseyfinch


Tomorrow's feature: #3 - kirameku


If you didn't get a chance to enter to be feature, click here to find out how you can be featured after Christmas.

Peanut Butter Pie

Today's feature comes to us from Peanut Butter Pie in Vancouver. Sit back, relax, & enjoy learning about this awesome shop. Don't forget to check them out!

Q How did you come up with your shop name?
A I have two shops on Etsy. The first is photo-centric and named for what my photography studio would be called if I had one; TMCphoto. PeanutButterPie is named for my daughter. When she was hanging around waiting to be born and after she made her debut we referred to her as The Peanut. The thing with nicknames is that they have a tendency to evolve and soon we were calling the Peanut, Peanut Butter and not long after that we were referring to her as Peanut Butter Pie. Well, to be honest we were using all of those names for her interchangeably. When I decided to open up a second shop on Etsy I wanted a name that was cute, fun and wouldn't limit what would be sold there. I also wanted a name that would have some meaning for me and PeanutButterPie fits the bill.

Q How did you hear about Etsy?
A Not long after the Peanut came along I signed up for an online newsletter which featured a lot of products for babies and toddlers. One day they were featuring these amazing little ponchos for babies and toddlers. I clicked on the link and was introduced to Etsy. When I saw the amazing art, and hand made goods I knew that I wanted to get on there myself. I was suffering from Postpartum Depression and part of what got me through was taking the time to create art again. Between getting my camera out again and starting to paint again I started to build a bit of an inventory and then I opened up shop.

Q How long have you been on Etsy?
A I opened TMCPhoto in July of 2008. I opened PeanutButterPie in September of that year after I started to create cards and paintings for the new babies that were making the rounds in my circle of Momma friends. I had built a small inventory, opened PeanutButterPie and listed the extras.

Q Is Etsy a full time job or something you do on the side?
A I'm a stay at home mom which is my full time gig. Etsy is kind of a full time/ part time since I do it at the same time and being a Momma. Balancing all the work that is involved with running an online shop and being a mom is a full time job all in itself.

Q Since you make handmade items, do you buy handmade as well?
A Absolutely! The bulk of our holiday shopping is done on Etsy or through local craft and arts fairs. I love that the items we pick out for family will not likely be duplicated, are hand chosen with them in mind and made with love and care. So far this last week I've got the Bean (the Peanut's soon to be little sister, who will probably become known as Jelly Bean) the sweetest pair of Peacock maryjanes from Sunflowerexpress and gifts for my brother and brother in law (which I will keep secret so they don't catch wind of their surprises) from AspenBottleHolders and Rockitbot. All three sellers have fantastic customer service and beautiful items. I can't wait to give them.

Q Do you prefer handmade over factory made?
A Handmade hands down! Supporting a fellow artist/artisan/craftsperson in itself is reason enough, but add in that handmade is well made, unique, factory made just pales in comparison.

Q What is one of your favorite items that you've made?
A That's a tough one. All the ornament/ suncatchers are so close to me at the moment that it's hard to choose. I recently carved a star stamp that we've made into ornaments which are stunning, but I also like the tree themed, spiral suns and snowflake themed ornaments. I've recently added a customizing service to the shop where you can add a date, name or short phrase to any ornament which I'm very excited about too. If I'm going to have to choose one I'll pick this one: Holiday Tree Ornament - Forest Tree and Snowflake.

Q What's the hardest part about the items you make?
A Well, The ornament/suncatchers in PeanutButterPie are a collaboration between myself and my husband. I carve the stamps that I use to make the images on the ornaments with glass paint then tape them with copper foil for my husband to solder, then we clean the rosin residue off and photograph them for listing. I'd have to say that the hardest part is a toss up between the soldering and the photographing. Soldering because I'm accident prone when it comes to handling super hot tools, which is where the husband comes in. He's good at it and suffers from fewer blisters than I would if I was doing his job; add into the equation that I'm currently pregnant and not able to work with the smell of melted tin/silver solder and you get the worst of it. Then there's the photographing which is tough right now because I've got the big belly to contend with, normally at a photoshoot I'm up, I'm down, I'm bending this way and that way to get the best shot possible. With a belly full of Bean my movements are slower and contorting is not comfortable.

Q What inspires you?
A I'm most inspired when I am making. There's something about working on something creative that gets the brain thinking and coming up with new ideas. Working with others is inspiring and of course there's nature, music, art and browsing through Etsy which all help to inspire.

Q What would you say to a person just starting out in the handmade world?
A A few things. Have a business plan. Selling online is a business and requires some planning and thinking ahead of time. I started out by diving right in and I wish I'd spent the time (or had the time to) get a business plan together. I've spent a lot of time learning and stumbling and making notes for the next time... which leads to my next piece of advice. Make use of the Etsy forums, chat rooms, Teams, and Virtual labs. The community on Etsy is fantastic and there are sellers in those places that are incredibly generous with their experience and advice. Finally it's a lot of hard work to get your name and your product out there.

Blog: TMCphoto-PeanutButterPie
FaceBook: Tami-Murray-Cline
Twitter: PeanutButterPie


Tomorrows feature: #8 - ayoka

Stefanies Sammelsurium

Today's feature comes to us from . Please sit back & enjoy a wonderful Q&A with steufel. Don't forget to get out her shop as well.

Q How did you come up with your shop name?
A Actually the story of my shop name is a little bit embarrassing. When I discovered Etsy a few years ago I never thought of selling so I registered with my usual screen name steufel (mixture of my name Teufel and surname Stefanie). Unfortunately, Etsy doesn’t allow you to change
your username – that’s the reason I’m stuck with this super-exciting shop-title “steufel” everyone is envy about :)

Q How did you hear about Etsy?
A When I started beading I soon realized that the choices in Germany are limited. Then someone pointed out that there is this great place called Etsy. I was hooked the minute I went there for the first time.

Q How long have you been on Etsy?
A As a buyer since July 2009 – as a seller since October 2010. So you talking to a newbie here.

Q Is Etsy a full time job or something you do on the side?
A Yes, I do. I’m responsible for the marketing at a local newspaper.


Q Since you make handmade items, do you buy handmade as well?
A Absolutely. I shop at Etsy all the time. I like the idea to support individuals so I try to get all my supplies there. It’s so much more rewarding to buy stuff from people who are committed to their work. And I think everyone on Etsy is committed.

Q Do you prefer handmade over factory made?
A Absolutely – you can feel all the love that went into making the particular piece. That is so great.

Q What is one of your favorite items that you've made?
A My first bracelet with my own handmade lampwork-beads. It is not that fancy and the beads are far from being perfect, but it has a special meaning to me.

Q What's the hardest part about the items you make?
A To find the time to make them. I have to work till six o’clock, sometimes later and I have a fiancé who wants to spent time with me (and vice versa) so there isn’t too much time left for making jewelry. I try to get things done on the weekend. I love to sit down with my stash and come up with a new bracelet or necklace.


Q What inspires you?
A To walk around and look at people, places, pictures etc. Creating jewelry is a spontaneous process – at least for me. Ideas strike me every time and everywhere and sometimes it’s hard to wait till I get home and try if this particular idea really works out.

Q What would you say to a person just starting out in the handmade world?
A Enjoy what you do. Try to make things you like and not what the markets ask for. In the long run it will pay off and the whole creating process is so much more rewarding. And join a community. You meet great people like Kim here.

Blog: Stefanies Sammelsurium
Facebook: Stefanies.Sammelsurium
Twitter: steufel_1



Tomorrow's feature: #19 - peanutbutterpie