Some Important Changes

For the time being, and as a trial run, my Etsy store will be on vacation until further notice, and I am opening and Ebay store.  I used Ebay stores before, and had very good success.  I switched to Etsy a few years ago, and sales have been dismal at best.  So, I am returning to Ebay at least for now.  I will give further info once it is up and running.  This allows me to auction off items something I can not do on Etsy.  I can not run two stores, so for now it is Ebay. 

Happy Halloween Now Get Ready for Christmas

Halloween is almost over, and that means it is time to get ready for Christmas.  I am promoting buying handmade items for the holidays this year.  I am sure there is something for everyone in the world of handmade.

I just finished the cutest teddy bear last night.  It was my first attempt, and I love it.  I was going to give it a santa hat and sell it that way, but I decided to make a baby blanket to go with it, and list them together.  Baby's first teddy and blanket, so cute.  I won't share pictures until the blanket is done.

I tried the wire wrapped ring tutorial, that I shared a few days ago.  That was not a real success, lol.  It ended up being a pendant, lol.  I will share that one after I complete the choker that will go with it.  It is a luscious brown like Smokey Quartz, and big and bold.  Love it!

Stay tuned for all those items to be shared.  Be safe if you are out and about tonight.  We will be going to a Fall Festival later this afternoon.  I have to work tomorrow night so no Trick or Treating this year.

Don't forget to vote on Tuesday!  Make this year the biggest turn out ever for the midterms, and vote, vote, vote!!!!!!

Painted Snowman Coasters and Painted Snowman Wooden Garden Stepping Stone

As you can see I put the poinsettia painted wood slice into the ground, yesterday. Last night I finished painting the next one, a snowman at night, with snowflakes. That one still needs to be sealed before I can put it in the ground. I will be making a water garden, hopefully in the Spring, and these are a nice touch. I think I am going to make them as made to order items in my Etsy store, but first I have to see how they hold up outside in the elements.

The set of three snowman coasters, is available to purchase in my Etsy store. They have been sealed and are ready to ship. There are only three, because that is all I could get from the tree of that size. They are hand drawn, and hand painted. Check them out in my Etsy store. Wonderful gift idea. I offer free USA shipping every day of the year, and a free layaway service.

Countdown To Christmas Painted Snowman, Snowman Coaster and Some Projects In Progress

I think I really need to be sure and blog at least 4 days a week. I have so many things already in my store, that I have not shared here yet. I try to be creative everyday. Some weeks that just is not possible, and some weeks it seems like I am just creating like crazy, lol. This week, so far, has been very productive. For those of you who blog, here is a question for you. If you have an Etsy store, where does the most of your non Etsy traffic come from? In other words, not people who favorite your item because they are in a team, but traffic from elsewhere. Mine are Facebook, and this blog. It is hard to say for Twitter and some others because they count in Direct Traffic ads and that could be a lot of different things.

 Yesterday, I finished a red and black, plaid, baby cocoon. It is so adorable, and I will share it here on the blog later. It is available in my Etsy store. Today, is painting day. My husband, finally, cut me some more wood slices from the tree we had to cut down. Unfortunately, I only got three that are small enough to be coasters. You can see one below in the early steps of painting it with an adorable snowman. Those will be available for sale, when I get them finished. I also painted one of the larger slices, white, and it too will have an adorable snowman painted on it. If you follow this blog, you know I did some poinsettias a few weeks ago. They are large, thick and heavy, so I will not sell them in my Etsy store. But, tonight as I was thinking about it, I am going to put them in the garden as wooden stepping stones. I think that is such a lovely idea. I also did a gingerbread painted gift bag, that too will be another day.

 Last but not least, I found these foam snowmen at the Dollar Tree. I painted the hat, the face, added some pine with holly berries, and snowflakes to the body of the snowman. Then I added the numbers 1-25, and crocheted a carrot nose. The nose moves to point to how many days are left until Christmas. These are not very big, and can be reused as long as taken care of. It is about 6 inches tall. This one is ours, because I am not crazy about how the numbers came out, but they will be listed in my store as made to order items. I think I have 5 more snowmen I can create. My kids love the advent calendars, and this one is so adorable. You will find it available in my Etsy store within the next few hours.

Make A Wire Wrapped Gemstone Ring Tutorial

I have to perfect stone to try this wire wrap technique with. Now, I have to see if I have any wire, lol. If mine comes out as good as his, I will try to make a video to share. I can not promise that though. My video taking skills are real stinky.

Poinsettia Doodle Tangle Art Pencil Drawing Black and White

I am really pleased with how this Tangle Doodle came out. I actually had started to draw this, a few weeks ago, when I was drawing poinsettias on the wood slice. I set it aside, and forgot about it. Last week, I came across it again, and finished it. It is black and white, all done completely in pencil. Drawn on water color thick paper, because I love that paper. It is thick and sturdy. I do not like my Art tablet drawing paper. It just seems so flimsy. This Poinsettia Tangle Doodle Drawing is available in my Etsy store. I am currently working on a Tangle Doodle Turkey. Hope to have it finished very soon. I am hoping for an optical illusion look. We will see.

Pink Peatunias Soft Baby Girl Cocoon with Pink Boa Fringe

Continuing with my goal to make a bunch of pink items for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Is this not the cutest thing ever? This is my first time using this bulky yarn. It is so soft, and wonderful. It feels like our rabbit's fur, it is so soft. It is a little more expensive, and kind of hard on the hands, but so worth it. I will be using more of this yarn, for lots of projects. I couldn't get the hat to come out right, yarn was too bulky. But, it is adorable all by itself. This is a baby cocoon for a newborn infant girl. These make awesome photo props for photographers, or parents who just want to take their own shots without spending a fortune. It is also a sleeping cocoon, for warmth in the cold months. All yarn is warm, but this is super warm. The boa is attached but can easily be removed. I do not suggest letting baby sleep with the boa on. It would be very dangerous to do so. So, please remove it when done with pictures. I also think my cocoons would make great kitten, or cat caves. They would have a ball with any of the cocoons available in my store. You can see all my cocoons by visiting my Etsy store. I really want to get some new jewelry pieces created, so I have to get going on that.

Pink, Red and White Painted Poinsettias on Wood Cake Stand

I love painting on wood! This piece is a couple of firsts for me. It is my first time painting on wood in its rough form, and first time painting poinsettia flowers. About a week, or so ago, we had to chop down a dead tree. I mean it was dead. This was not from that tree. We noticed another tree that was obviously diseased, so we opted to take that one down too. I am a bit of a tree geek, so it broke my heart. I had my husband cut two slices, one for me, and one for my son. He will be making a friend of his a birthday gift with his, and mine has been reformed into a rustic cake stand as shown. It is a bit thick, so I really can not sell it. So, it will become part of my Winter table decor. The tree still has large parts sitting in our front yard, waiting to be burned. I have asked my husband to cut me some smaller, and thinner slices, before he burns them all. That way I can create some pieces I can offer for sale. I can buy wood slices, but how nice that it came from my tree. I did not sand this wood, so it was definitely in the rough, lol. I had to apply two layers of the black base paint, then draw on the flowers with a white pencil, then paint three layers of the flowers and outlines. Very time consuming, but I love the results.

Pink Tourmaline October Birthstone

I think I am going to start making gemstone videos for learning about gemstones. Youtube has millions of videos, but I have a hard time finding good ones explaining gemstones. If you are a woman, you probably love the color pink. I do! I wear a Pink Tourmaline and Diamond ring, as part of my wedding set. My engagement ring was a Morganite in rose gold. I love pink! The Morganite got sold after I got married. I should have kept it for my daughter, but oh well. The Pink Tourmaline I wear was not made by me, but I did buy from an Etsy Artisan. It was easier than trying to find a white gold setting in my very small finger size. Anyway, one of the two birthstones for October, is pink tourmaline. Below, is an interesting video about Pink Tourmaline. I do not currently have any for sale in my Etsy store, but I hope to have some new settings and pieces created soon. Here are some other interesting facts about Pink Tourmaline: Tourmaline is naturally found in Maine and California. Most Tourmaline appears to come from Sri Lanka. Tourmaline comes in a wide array of colors, similar to sapphire or spinel. It can be heat treated, or irradiated. It is a durable gemstone with a 7-7.5 hardness. There is a blue green Tourmaline from Paraiba Brazil, that is no longer being mined. It is one of the most beautiful colors of Tourmaline.


Do you know what the other birthstone is for October?  Stay tuned I will share it soon.

Flash Sale for October 2nd 2014 Buy 1 Painted Gift Bag Get the 2nd Bag Free

If you saw my post from the other day, then you know that I am doing a flash sale every day, until after Christmas.  Hopefully I will not forget any when I have to work.  They will not all be posted here on the blog.  But, if you look for my Facebook app on the left hand side, you will see the sales there.  Today the flash sale is, buy 1 painted gift bag of your choice, get the second free.  I will have to refund the price of the second bag after you have checked out.  This is for painted gift bags only.  I have quite a few in stock and you can check them all out by visiting my Etsy store.  This sale will end tonight at 10 PM Eastern time.  I offer free USA shipping, so this is a steal of a deal.