T.........he photographer

This last weekend, we had some wonderful family experiences and it seemed that everyone was taking pictures. The photo here is one I took of my older daughter who was taking a picture of me with her brand new camera. She's quite skilled with a camera and has an excellent artistic eye so I'm sure her photo of me turned out much better! Right now she says she's just in the practice stage with this new camera, but I'm sure now she'll take even more spectacular scenery and portrait photos. In fact, she'll be the photographer at her cousin's wedding this summer. Guess it's not hard to tell that I'm very proud of her!

A.........pril 24 is "Etsy Day"

Remember the old gag line: "Yesterday I couldn't even spell bartunder and today I are one"? Well....about a year and a half ago I didn't even know there was an Etsy (pronounced like Betsy without the B) and today it's a fun and rewarding part of my life!

For those of you who don't know about Etsy, it's an online marketplace for crafters, allowing us to show and sell our creations all over the world!

Since I began on Etsy, I've learned so much about crafting, selling, marketing, communicating, and on-line techniques. Plus, today I made my 118th sale, which is a good thing, because I'm also an Etsy buyer! I've found the most unique and beautifully made items that we use here in our home and share with friends and relatives.

So in honor of "Etsy Day", won't you join us in buying and perhaps selling handcrafted items? You can just log on to Etsy.com or click on my little corner of Etsy, my shop, through the links on the right. Happy Etsy Day!!

C.........ustomers inspire me!

It never ceases to amaze me...whenever I concentrate on listening instead of talking, (which for those of you who know me, that's hard to do!)
I learn so much and get so many ideas. Recently a customer asked if I could make the apple dish scrubbies in green and yellow as well as the usual red. Of course I have often seen different colors of apples in the stores but it never transferred into a crafting idea. So here they are, and they seem very cheery. Do you think I'll learn a lesson this time??

H.........appy Easter

Camille and Oscar join Katy, Kirby, dh, and me in wishing everyone a glorious Easter!! It's a beautiful spring morning here and we're most grateful for that and for all of our blessings.
Easter has always been my favorite Christian holiday as I believe it is the center point of that faith and even supersedes Christmas in my heart. For me, it also signifies a release of our long winter and brings forth the lovely colors and joys of spring. We hope you all have a beautiful day!

T.........wo Zany Zebras

Let me introduce you to a Zarkle! He's the creation of http://twozanyzebras.etsy.com/ Twozany, our Etsy Blogger of the month, makes these adorable contemporary critters as well as other imaginative and practical items for babies. This Zarkle is named Carlton Chameleon and his entire 12" body is squeezably soft. She claims he is very fond of dalmatians and firetrucks and is sure to keep all monsters at bay. Can't you just see him perched on a toy fire truck? Please take a moment to visit Twozany's shop on Etsy by clicking on the link provided. You are sure to come away with a smile, and perhaps your very own Zarkle!

G..........oing Green

As the world becomes more and more conscious of the need to "go green" and be ecofriendly, I've found that these efficient, economical and practical dish scrubbies never go out of style. These sets are even made in green! Many folks tell me these are the best scrubbies ever, as they're tough on stuck on food and gentle to fine dishes and Teflon. They clean up quickly in the dishwasher or a bag in the washer and air dry in a snap, leaving no odors. They're offered in my Etsy shop as a set of two or six and can be made in many different colors and shapes. Sometimes I even crochet a dishcloth around these nylon net circles so they do double duty.

The environment and going "green" is being emphasized by the Etsy Bloggers Team as part of a blog carnival this month. Anything that we can do to save this precious planet, especially in a country that produces so many of the environmental problems, is not only our responsibility, but one the greatest gifts we can leave to our children and grandchildren.