An Old Tradition

"Share the Love"

Nothing too heavy, but every year, I'm compelled to make a 2-D, handmade, original Valentine greeting card. Since fiddling with paste and paper doesn't fit into my schedule this year, and since that urge to fulfill my tradition is so compelling, I made this "card" today, after raiding some of my garden photos from last summer, and taking liberties with them.

It's all ready to be popped into an e-mail envelope....this isn't cheating, is it? I'm having way too much fun crocheting silk and pearls right now to stop what I'm doing and to switch over to paper and doilies....so this sort of "happened" instead.

Enjoy your Sunday AND the Super Bowl!

Necks and Cats

Not quite the full collection of the "Special Chain" series, but most of it to date
Ironically, about a year ago, I did a similar collage of a different series.

"I'm handsome, I'm getting bigger and bigger (trying to grow into my feet,) I'm the Purrmeister

I'm ignoring you, Mom. All you do is fiddle with art stuff and cameras, I can't go outside 'cuz it's too cold and wet, I'm bored, I'm the Red Kitty

Wake me up when it's time to eat again....
Have a great weekend!

Navel Gazing

Well, not exactly navel gazing, but I just have this thing about marking time, especially with numbers. I love big round numbers, quirky numbers, counting time. So I watched with baited breath as my visitor counter here on my little blog slowly approached a whole new milestone--namely, 40,000 views.

39,974 is the count here, Wednesday, 2-3-10

Dang, just missed it early morning, Thursday 2-4-10
but 40,002 is kind of a cool number, too

But I missed it! I got screen shots just before, and just after, but sometime early Thursday morning that counter hit the big four oh oh oh oh and I missed it. Don't mind me, I do this with vehicle odometers too, but somehow that's easier to capture. And of course anniversaries (& blogoversaries), birthdays, and other interesting "counts." I've mentioned aspects of this here before, commenting on "so many of this" or "this many of that," so don't mind me...it's just one of those "things" that make me me, I guess.

OK, so a few other new odds and ends as we approach a new weekend....Well, just one, actually. I have mentioned in my little shops how all pieces purchased leave in a "cotton filled decorative box, all ready to give (or to keep)" and this week, I decided to actually photograph what I mean by that. Actually, I did it in the context of new entries about shipping upgrades, but I am pleased with my Valentine themed boxes here!!

Have a great Friday!

Naturally Born Killer

Don't let this innocent little face fool you. First, he learned to jump up on to the highest counters--a place that had been safe and off limits until just a couple of days ago. I try to remember to put a stopper into the kitchen sink now because I have found a few strange odds and ends there, and the idea that I'd destroy the garbage disposal because, God forbid, my glasses or something ended up down there is a nightmare on many levels.

Then, he became much too active at night. Unless a door is solidly closed, he can get into everything and anything. So what do I find in the sink the other morning? Right down in the drain where I forgot to put the plug in? Why, it was a big fat dead mouse, that's what was down the drain. And how did I guess it was Purrmeister? Well, his new favorite plastic toy that he carries around in his mouth was ALSO in the sink. Ugh.

I know, I know, I cannot prove that he did the killing. Heck, the poor rodent may just have been scared to death once he was down in the drain, I will never know. But I have my suspicions. Oh yes, I've seen him jump straight up window panes here, catch flies on the fly....and eat them. I've seen him jump straight up from the kitchen floor to the kitchen counter. And it seems to be under the kitchen sink, up the tiny holes that the plumbing comes through, that the rodents come through--and that darn cat has figured out how to open the cupboard door himself, so elementary, my dear Sherlock.....Purrmeister, the Naturally Born Killer.

Thank goodness I didn't actually need to handle the dead mouse. I cringed when I did it, but I just turned on the garbage disposal....ugh.

Wordless Wednesday (Sienna, Italy)

Window boxes (or pocket gardens!?) look much more manageable to me than a whole farm!

New Work, New Info

Green Pressed Glass and Chrysoprase Necklace with Special Silver Chain

Small Wrapped Hoops with Smokey Quartz and Pearl Colored Seed Beads

What an exciting weekend! I ran a couple of Etsy "Show cases" and got quite a few views--a nice surge of visitors to my shop--and finally, during the last while they were showing, got a few sales, too. Whew, you have to hope it really is "only the bad economy" when you try this hard to get shoppers to your store, when you get this much traffic, but the wallets remain in the purses or the pockets.

I say that because, like many artists I know, there's a serious streak of insecurity in me and so I also wonder "Hmmm, this many folks looking, no one buying--what's wrong with my work this month??" It's pretty normal to have these moments, actually. Since I've been in this art business for most of my life, it usually doesn't get me down for more than a few minutes and I'm back making more new things, or trying to figure out some new way to do things.

In fact, last night, I wrote and published my first email/newsletter in about 11 months (see, I promised I don't spam when folks signed up! I say I'll write 3 or 4 times a year, though, and hope to do a little bit better.) And in case you're curious, yes, there IS a special offer included in it...why don't you sign up and see???? I know, I know, getting a business Facebook page together would probably be a good idea...I just haven't figured it out yet.

I'm grateful for the few sales that did come through over the weekend, though, and for the inquiries about possible special orders. So the first couple of images here are newish/in fact, the earrings haven't been listed quite yet. I was fascinated with the green glass I used in the necklace...it was so rustic and organic, it looked more like a stone than glass...beautiful color, too.

The bottom image here documents the "total views" I managed to get over one 24 hour period due to the "Etsy showcase" ads. Actually, I took this shot because in the Etsy forums, on a regular basis, the question comes up whether spending the $7 for a showcase is "worth it" or not (That's a 24 hour photo ad near the front page of the web site.) For me, it beats the pants off of any other means of at least getting folks to look at my shop--now whether or not any spending is taking place?? Well, that's another story!

But by hook or by crook I've managed to attract over of 1050 "hearts" for my Etsy shop now, which is kind of cool. (Etsy shoppers and artists know what I mean...sorry to bore any of you not following the Etsy stuff!) OK, back to work!! Have a great Tuesday, everyone!!