Chocolate Rain

Merry New Year! Let's have another baked giveaway! For Christmas I tried a new recipe from Maaaatha for what she calls chocolate-espresso snowcaps. They were delicious and I'd love to share some! For an entry into this giveaway please visit my Etsy shop and leave a comment here about an item - what you like, what you don't like. I'll take suggestions on ways to improve an item or ideas of items you'd want to see too. Any kind of feedback is great and I'm always looking for it. If you want an additional entry sign up to follow my blog or twitter. Thanks!

I will draw the winner after 12am on Monday the 5th. Cookies will be baked with organic ingredients on Monday the 5th and will ship priority mail on Tuesday.

Communism was just a red herring

I finally made some necklaces!! This first one above is a gift. I feel like I'm on a never-ending quest for the perfect metal chain. At least whatever that means inside my own head. In this necklace I found it. I added some teal stone beads I have had for a long time waiting for the right jewelry to be made. I don't remember what they are or where they came from though. The green glass crackle beads I have made earrings out of previously. I love them. Also added some sterling silver chain on the left side.

This one I will list on Etsy eventually. I found this chain that was exactly what I had envisioned! It's a silver chain and a gun metal chain with red glass beads that I found about a month ago and have been deciding what to turn them into. Trying out Buddha as a model again although I'm not convinced I've found the right piece for him yet.

Anyway, I'd love to hear what you all think of these. Thanks!

Vacuum Seal THIS

So close to 20, but there wound up being 19 entries in the vacuum sealed organic blondie contest. The winner is EMILY!  I baked these tonight and am shipping out tomorrow. 

It's been 6 days since I vacuumed the previous batch and when I opened them tonight they were stale.  Oh well.  I'm not sure if it has to do with the amount of pressure - maybe they would be better off in a non-commercial vacuum sealer? - or if they never had a chance in the first place and six days is just too long.  I know that just covered in saran wrap they last at least 3 days, so maybe the whole vacuum seal isn't worth it at all.  I will try the bed/bath/beyond grade sealer next, but after that I think without preservatives or priority shipping these don't have a chance. 
Thanks to everyone who entered! I promise to have more giveaways very soon.  I will be interested to hear Emily's review of how they were upon arrival.  Her batch is wrapped up and pictured above.  

All 20s

I now have 20 followers of this blog and am very excited about it! Because I'm so excited I want to try a giveaway of those blondies I posted about. I remade them a few nights later doing the recipe exactly as Clear Pink had wanted and they came out amazing! I vacuum sealed four of them using different settings and am still waiting to open them. I want to ship preservative free baked goods across the country without them getting stale and without me having to overnight them. Anyway, let's try it out now! Everyone who leaves a comment on this thread will receive an entry to win 8 blondies in a vacuum sealed bag for freshness. If you sign up to follow my blog you'll receive 2 entries. I use only organic products and will send you a list of ingredients along with the blondies. I hope you're as thrilled about this as I am! Contest ends Wednesday 12/17 at 6am EST.

A Dog On A Mission

This really is one of the greatest things ever. I know I keep coming back to wigglin' for wind power doggie t-shirts, but I have to when I have a customer as wonderful as this! I'm still a lightweight at this point as far as Etsy goes, and I know it has its problems too, but how can anyone not love having this kind of personal interaction with a total stranger that lives 600 plus miles away?! It's wonderful!!! Pictured above is Lassie - the world changing, pro wind and solar power activist dog wearing the first item I have sold on Etsy. Did I mention she attends events where her mother speaks on the subject of wind power? Yes, Lassie wiggles while working to end our dependence on foreign oil. What more can I ask for?
This was all made possible by Mary of Magic Island - check out her beautiful photography and photo jewelry!

Day Bow Bow

I read a great recipe for blondies (more like saw a really nice photo of them) and decided to try it one night on the fly. I had no chocolate chips, so I added cocoa powder (I generally need chocolate in every dessert). They were really good, but I was wishing for the chocolate chips like the ones I had seen. The next day I had chocolate chips so I stuck some in and they were great!! I will definitely keep this recipe and try it again. Thanks to Clear Pink for posting this!
I've had dreams of being able to bake all organic cookies, chocolates, brownies, candy etc. and to try selling on Etsy. It's the packaging and shipping that has given me doubts. However, I'm now living with a professional vacuum sealer! I think that solves the problem. Now I just need some more time to do it. Cookies would make a nice giveaway wouldn't they? While the project is still in 'beta'?
Since my post title has nothing to do with anything I've written about, here's the brilliant video:

Purple Reign

I'm not sure why I like this - probably because it's purple - but in any event I want to print it and see how it looks.  It's my Andy Warhol.  

On the purple note, you must check out this Prince tribute band.  They are fantastic.  

Etsy Favorite #6

I can't remember how I came across this one, but it's been in my favorites for a little while and I've had candles on the brain today, so there you have it. I'm dying to see what it looks like in the dark with the candle lit, but it's so pretty in the daylight, I'm not going to complain. I adore the colors, the patterns, the shape - it's perfect. I'm also fascinated to learn how it was made since I have no glass experience (yet). Things like this make me want that glass experience sooner rather than later though, that's for sure. Thanks to Delcia Litt / Mountain Top Stained Glass for making such a beautiful item! Check out her shop for many more beauties.

Wigglin' Comes Through!

This is the best. I got a first sale!

I had never gone into the chat rooms on Etsy before, but decided to see what went on there a week or so ago. I went into a room of people that were interested in trading items and posted my newly made 'Wigglin' For Wind Power' dog tshirt! I didn't stay on very long after that though. The next day I have an email from a fellow Etsy photog that needs the tshirt! She is friends with a woman that goes to events to speak about wind power and sometimes brings her collie mix along with her!!! Since I already have too much photography, I asked if she'd be interested in a discount and she was. However, I did not have the correct size for this dog! SO, I asked for her patience in order to get some larger shirts and print them and she was fine with it. Got the shirts right before Thanksgiving, printed them last night, and sold it today! Very exciting!!!!!

Etsy Fave #5

I received an email from NY Magazine recently talking up these wall hooks (above) and thought they were such a great idea. Who doesn't want to put a dart in the wall? Really they just made me realize how simply I could solve some of my lazy/clutter problems. I have lots of wall space, but NO space anywhere else. I also have a pile of clothes that reside on top of my dresser and on various chairs. So, seeing these wall darts made me realize what a simple solution a wall hook could be and since I love Etsy so much (and these darts are overpriced for what they are) I went there first to look for some. And here is what I found.




I love this mosaic piece that combines the helpful aid of a hook with a beautiful piece of art! It's by Flowering Moon Designs.

You Got To Pay The Troll Toll

I made an apple crostata the other night.  I used two recipes and it worked out pretty well.  For the crust and the insides I used the recipe here.  For an added crumb topping I used the recipe here.  I wound up with some extra insides as well as extra crumble.  Not sure what happened.  Also, the crumble was more the consistency of pie dough rather than sand as Martha describes in the recipe.  Either way, it was delicious.  

Solid As A Rock

These look crazy and I love them.  I've never seen something that looks like a rock on an earring before and I think this combination with the aquamarine is gorgeous.  They really make me want to work only in gun metal.  They are by Beijo Flor.  Inspiring!

Treasury!

I'm in another heat-themed treasury!  This one was curated by VintageEmbellishment. Check it out and leave a comment if you can.  

I Love Squirrels

And this seems like a perfect way to express that love. The colors are so perfect too. Miami Beach. I haven't started buying other people's art on Etsy yet, but will soon I think. I keep finding such great things!! This one's by Alexis Rawlins Design.

What you have all been waiting for

Finally!  The Wigglin' For Wind  Power doggie t-shirts are here!  For now, I have listed an aqua t-shirt with a very light lime green ribbed edge in XL (pictured) and a white t-shirt with navy blue ribbed edge in both L and XL.  Check them out!  

BNR

Fellow Etsians!  Check out this BNR - only $4.50 minimum to get on the list and stay on until you get booted!  Oh it has booty in the title which already makes it the best.  I got handmade, all natural soap from ConcordSoap!

I have a dessert problem

I can't stop myself from eating it. However, these aren't too bad (if you can stop at 2) and they were surprisingly fun to make. I knew it would be easy - just melt some chocolate and dip, but the dipping (more like painting with the back of a spoon because the bowl of chocolate was too small) was therapeutic. These were shot while inside my refrigerator.

Etsy Fave #2

I love this ring!  What a cool idea.  By QA Create.  

I Made It Into A Treasury #2!

Thanks so much to PussDaddy for this!!!  It's only up for two days, but here's the link.            

An Etsy Favorite

I don't always have things to write about as far as my own craftiness goes, so I'm going to start featuring other sellers on Etsy of things I NEED TO HAVE.  And maybe you'll need them too.  First up are these glass ball earrings by leavesofglass.  I love the design!

Shophandmade vs. Madeitmyself

Reading Esty forums I've learned a lot about some other places to list handmade items. I posted one item on Shophandmade several weeks ago, but just the other day posted a few to Madeitmyself (which was a lot faster and easier to list with). I am regularly being put in with the 'featured items' on the homepage of Shophandmade (see middle photo, bottom row), but it has a very small number of views, and has been there for a few weeks. With Madeitmyself I had more like 30 views in a much shorter period of time. Not sure what to make of it and wondered what other people's experiences were.

A Cake We Can Believe In

Voodoo Barack cake's humble beginnings.

And the finished product!

Barack-o-lantern

It's tough carving a pumpkin with kitchen knives. Did I do him the least bit of justice??

And I thought I was Daniel Plainview

But look at how nice people can be! Yarncouture
featured me on twitter. Just because she felt like helping out some of us
zero Etsy sale types. I see the good! I see the good!
(Today at least)

Notecards

I decided to go with these two to get some "free" notecards from vistaprint today. I've been curious about what their greeting cards are like.

Etsy

I made it into a treasury!  
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=17290

I can thank SnapdragonDesigns for this!  

Someone buy me the cds on my wishlist before Halloween, please.

is a brilliant film.
And I have to say, the more blaxploitation films I watch, the more I want every single soundtrack to every one of these movies so I can listen daily.

Of course it's gonna be a blaze of glory

This is my Soy iron-on art.
Is anyone (Jacqueline) watching Paris Hilton's My New BFF? Just saw it the other night and am hooked.

Day Man 2

I started this however many months ago strictly in order to post the lyrics to Day Man. It was something I had searched for online, but was not there. I was to provide a service. Now I'm going to use this to talk about my crafts projects and hopefully get some buyers on Etsy strictly based on having the same favorite television show. I'll post Night Man soon.