New in my Shop...Woven Tote Bag

I'm loving this tote bag. I am really going to have to make one for myself. It has woven detail across the center band and 3 of my signature buds adorn the top band. Straps are long enough to carry as a should bag. Double heavy-duty interfacing gives it great shape and stability.

Collage...House and Home

1. House Rule No. 11 - Love Thy Neighbor by wunderlust
2. Pink House on Scott St., San Francisco by JamesKeniston
3. Red Houses Zip Pouch by laurabucci
4. You Are My Home Pendant by mamacitabeadworks
5. New Orleans Shotgun House 107 by nolasalvage
6. In This House-Ordinary by dailythreads
7. Felt Sunglass Case (brown house) by suezybees
8. Sweet Cottage with Roses by melimeloart
9. Chunky Little Red Door House by thelittlereddoor

Treasury...Moss and Heather

Thank you maclancy!

My First Etsy Front Page

Many thanks to tinahdee.


I finally get to use this Etsy badge. Yay!

Etsy Seller Spotlight...SilverBay

As my frequent readers might have noticed, I've added an Etsy mini to the side of my blog called "My Sister's Shop". Christy, my younger sister, makes some of the most beautiful jewelry. She loves to work with silver, gold and semi-precious gems to create one-of-a-kind pieces. I can personally vouch for the quality of her work as I own several pieces.

This past weekend we had a blast exploring Etsy. I spent a lot of time acquainting her with all the ins and outs of running an Etsy shop. We went over everything from banners... to listing an item... to treasuries. She is now an Etsian and very excited, too!

She is having a giveaway on http://etsygiveaways.blogspot.com.
You could win these agate earrings. Simply visit her shop at Silverbay.etsy.com and then return here to leave a comment.



Take a look at some of my favorites...

Collage...Stunning Pieces for Valentine's Day

1. Cool Blue Chalcedony Bracelet by belledesigns
2. Mini Kua'au 3-Aqua Hydrothermal Quartz Aquamarine and Sterling Necklace by KahiliCreations
3. Lei-Series Sterling Silver and Copper Single-Flower Necklace by AgJewelryDesign
4. Good Time Ring by yellowgoat
5. Parthenocissus Quinquefolia Freeform Crochet Necklace by irregularexpressions
6. Cherry Blossom Pendant by LaurenRamirez
7. Lime Earrings by smashing

Opening Night...The Importance of Being Earnest

Today I want to sing the praises of one of my new favorite Etsy sellers~ Mrs. Gibson Atelier. Let me tell you how I found this beautiful shop. As you may know from previous posts, my daughter is a theater student at Ball State University. Every time she is in a show, I have given her a piece of jewelry that relates to the character she is playing. It's something that she can keep to remember the experience. Well, tonight was her opening night playing Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest. So, now I can tell you about the perfect piece of jewelry I found by doing a search for "Lady Bracknell" on Etsy without worrying she'd read the post and ruin the surprise. Who would have thought that such an obscure search would bring back a result. Just goes to show you that there are so many cool things to be found on Etsy. Anyway, my search brought me to a handbag labeled "Lady Bracknell Cream Velvet English Chintz Metal Framed Handbag". The purse was absolutely stunning, but not quite what I was looking for. Upon further browsing through the shop, I found that this Etsian also makes jewelry. To be specific, glass lockets that can be personalized. I promptly convo'd the shop proprietor of Mrs. Gibson's and after a few back and forth discussions she came up with my perfect gift. The picture is of Oscar Wilde and the smaller charm has a famous line from the play. She even added a crystal before sending it. And, it was wrapped in the most beautiful paper. To make things more perfect, the shop proprietor lives in the UK which is where the playwright Oscar Wilde wrote and set this play. My daughter love, love, loves the necklace and that makes me very happy. Cheers to Mrs. Gibson's Atelier!
Oh, and by the way, my daughter was fabulous!

Promote a Sister Sunday...Pinka

Check out this week's CABTeam sister-Pinka. Pinka specializes in handmade bags for men, women and children. She learned to sew from her grandmother and has taken classes at fashion design school. She also likes to paint and draw. These are some of my favorite bags from her shop.

Collage...Sweet Little Birds

1. Small Sweet Little Birdie Post Earrings by kyleanne1
2. Garden Bird Brooches by murgatroydandbean
3. Rockies by SamariaProject
4. Fly Away by lynseandfancy
5. The Amazing Southwest Salsa Bird Pendant by PoorRobin
6. Birds in Lines y annarubyking
7. Philippine Yellow Duck by loranscruggs
8. Map Paper Bird France by cottonbirddesigns
9. Little Flower Bird by missmoniker

Dog is to Frisbee and Cat is to...

This is our cat Bella. I never thought I would be a cat person. Growing up I was allergic to animals. We could never have a pet because I would react so badly. Not only did I have allergies, but I had asthma too. So, my eyes would water, my nose would run, sneezing fits would ensue and I'd be gasping for air. How attractive!

When my children were just toddlers, right after we bought our first house, we were stung by the gardening bug. We would work for hours in our yard planting bulbs and perennials and other beautiful plants. We'd weed and mulch and mow and prune and really enjoyed the view from our deck at the end of a long day. The next day we'd wake to eaten leaves and turned over pots. The neighborhood rodents had moved in over night to destroy all our hard work. One of our neighbors had a cat and claimed that his yard was virtually untouched by these menacing creatures because this cat would shoo them away. So, we thought we'd get an outdoor cat. Every garden center we frequented had a resident cat. Why hadn't we thought of this? We figured if it was and outdoor cat, it wouldn't bother me. So, we got Zoie. A beautiful black and white tuxedo cat. She was very sweet, and loved to chase critters. Occasionally, she even brought them to us as gifts. My husband and the kids would take care of her and I would admire her from afar. Everything was wonderful again. The yard never looked better. The view was perfectly spectacular and pristine.

But, we lived in Ohio where its only warm half of the year. We toiled over what to do with the cat over the winter months. We certainly couldn't keep her outside in freezing temperatures. So, she ended up living in our basement. I only went down there to do laundry, so I'd be okay. As time went by, living in the basement became a half time thing. The kids would bring her upstairs to play for a little while each day, and that turned into spending hours at a time upstairs. All the while, I would be in another room, guarding myself from the potential explosion of my overly sensitive sinuses. It wasn't long before we realized that I wasn't having any reactions. What had happened? Had my asthma and allergies disappeared? It couldn't be. As a child, all I had to do was look at a cat or dog and I'd go into anaphylactic shock. It was amazing. I was cured. Maybe all those years of allergy shots had really built up my immunities to the point where I could live in harmony with all things furry. Life was good.

As time went on we added another cat, Milo, to the family. Now, my daughter was also afflicted with allergies and asthma. My weak gene pool was passed on to her. The cats never bothered her until she went away to college. Something about being without them had affected her. She would come home over Christmas, Spring and Summer breaks and do that whole exploding thing. The poor girl had, it seemed, developed an allergy to cats. We had to find nice homes for Zoie and Milo. It was very sad. I hope never to have to do that again. It felt like part of the family had moved away.

Kate really missed having a cat around, so in her junior year, when she had moved from the dorms to an apartment, she and her roommate decided to get a kitten. I warned her about the possibility of having to give it up if she couldn't breath, but she forged ahead. She has been a year and a half with Grizabella and has had no problems. Knock on wood!

One day, a woman at work asked if anyone wanted a kitten. Her cat had had a litter of 4 and they were looking for homes. We really missed having a cat around too. And that is how Bella came to us. She is a curious, playful, bundle of fun. It amazes me the things that keep her attention. Opening the refrigerator door will bring her from the furthest location in the house. I don't know what she thinks is in there for her, but she absolutely loves to stand in front of the open door. And, if you dispense crushed ice from the door and let one of the cubes hit the floor, she will play with it until it's a puddle. She is always at the door to greet us at 5:15. I'd like to think it was because she misses us during the day, but I'm sure it's because she's hungry. Her favorite place is on my husband's chest. He'll sit in his lounge chair, and just wait for her to come curl up under his chin. Maybe it' the beard that she likes. It's great to have her around.

Now, to finish the title of this posting...
Dog is to Frisbee as Cat is to... Milk Jug Rings. You know those plastic rings that you tear off the cap to open the jug? Those are, without a doubt, her favorite things in the whole world. Ah, Bella!

Collage...Current Etsy Favorites

1.Crochet Necklace by Studio Karma
2.Slapdash Scrappies Wallet by Delainie
3.Folded Metal Pin by Lemon Oak Studio
4.Folklore Orange Purse by Oktak
5.Astro Girl Custom Embelished Jean Jacket by MyDeepBlueC

Collage...Valentine Finds on Etsy...Only 9 Shopping Days Left

1.Chinese Take Out Box
2.Valentine Slide Top Gift Tins
3.Small Heart Ring in Pink and Fuchsha
4.Heart Necklace
5.Love and Happiness Paper Wreath
6.Rice Mice

Treasury...Beautiful Colors

Promote a Sister Sunday...Sue of AntiqueBasketLady

This week I'd like to introduce you to Sue of AntiqueBasketLady~ One of our over 100 Carried Away Bag Makers team members. I love the piece work she does on her bags. Very nice!
Here is a little bit about Sue...
"I have always loved to craft, create and sew...love to quilt...but my latest love is creating handbags and accessories. I have been selling for many years on line and currently Etsy approaching 2 years.

I also work as an RN/Lactation Consultant 3 days a week and have been at my current job for 35 years...Love to help new families.

I am married to my husband for 36 years and we have 2 grown married daughters, 2 wonderful son in laws, 2 granddaughters...Violet who is 2 1/2 and Courtney 11. ( I love making things for them...) I forgot to mention Louis our Teddy Bear..."