HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO AMANDA - WILDLIFER

Happy Birthday to a special lady, Amanda!!

Amanda is the moderator of the Etsy Angels...she is a wonderful leader, artist and friend! I would love to take this chance to tell her how proud I am to be called her friend!

Have a wonderful day, Amanda!! Wishing you all the best and many more to come!

Check out her shop and convo her a special wish!
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5201027

{{{{HUGS}}}

Christmas Baking

I always did alot of Christmas baking ...and gave to family and friends. A few years ago my daughter in law wanted to bake too so we decided to do it at her house...her friend called and was feeling really down. Her mom was an alcholic and never did anything with her...so off my DIL goes and takes her up to join us! The next year the 3 of us were there and my DIL's mother shows up ..Oh I would love to make some of those...off we send her to the store!

Now there is 4 women in a very small kitchen...we did it through !

The next year I tell them, "ok, we are doing this at my place"...bigger kitchen, bigger fridge and a nice big front step! Yes, we needed it to keep our freshly made items cool! Hubby runs for cover...lol.

So it has become a tradition to spend the whole day making lots of goodies! Our list of goodies include: Peanutbutter balls, Mars bars squares, Short bread cookies, Sugar cookies, Oh Henry squares, Rocky Road bars, and Spider cookies. It will be on the 22nd of December this year.

The one that is the hit for all is the Peanutbutter balls....we make about 12 dozen of these little guys each!

I would love to share the recipe with you:

Peanutbutter Balls

Makes about 6 dozen

1 1/2 cup smooth peanutbutter( I use the cheapest brand possible it mixes better)
1/2 cup margarine
3 cups icing sugar
1 1/2 cups rice krispies
2/3 cup of peanuts or coconut if desired

Cream peanutbutter and margarine!
Add the rest and cool in refrigerator.

Roll into small balls, place on wax paper on cookie sheet..

Melt parffin wax and choclate chips in double boiler.

Place toothpick in center of balls and dip into choclate mixture.

Place back on waxed paper..cool and serve!


"So Simple and Fun to make"...Enjoy!

Something to Smile about....and to be Proud of!!

I am honored to have received the "Spreader of Love" award from Amanda(Wildlifer) of Chloe's Boutique.
Thanks Amanda!!! That was so very nice of you to think of me:)

Now, time for me to Spread some Love!


For The Spreader of Love award the rules are:
1. Post a copy on your blog
2. Mention who gave you the award
3. Pass the award on to 6 others
4. Leave a message on their blog letting them know the honor has been bestowed upon them.

It's now my honor to pass this loving award on to the following blogs:

1.http://cbl-co.blogspot.com/

2.http://www.1000markets.com/users/bynanashands

3.http://www.craftsbychrisonline.com/blog/

4.http://newenglandquilter.blogspot.com/

5.http://mamajody54.blogspot.com/

6.http://feltedtreasures.blogspot.com/

Thank you Amanda for thinking of me with this neat award!

My First Christmas Craft Fair of the 2008 Season

Saturday and Sunday was my first Christmas Craft Fair of the season.....It was at a Highschool that is 140 kilometers away. It is their only fundraiser for the year and it had about 130 vendors....they only thing not sold there was food as the Band members sold it for the Band. This was my second year at this one. Last year was 3 days but this year only 2. I sold as much in the 2 as the 3 last year!

I met some great people - both vendors and buyers. I also recieved a few custom orders. There were a few things that I ran out of...aprons for adults and children and placemats for everyday use...people want me to take to my next show which is next weekend!

My first customer bought almost enough to pay for my table rental..started the weekend off great. You will see the wallhanging she purchased in my last picture.

Hubby made me the new display racks and they worked great....certainly showed my items much better.


I also purchased a few gifts while there....one for hubby's boss, one for my sister and one for my grandson.

I have a friend/coworker that lives in the area so stayed with her instead of travelling. We had a nice evening catching up as she transferred to another center and no longer works out of mine.


I will need to spend some time in the sewing room this week to get ready for the 2 I have next week end.

I have one on Friday from 9 - 2 that is sponsored by my worksite that donates the table rentals to the local Foodbank then from 4-9 I go to the 3rd one that is at another school that uses the table rentals as funds for the playground equipment...last year they added to the playground equipment for children with disablilities! It will also run all day Saturday...this is my most successful one. There is alot of community and school support.

CBLandCompany...a great customer, seller, and friend!

Today I am going to blog about a great lady that I met online on Etsy! CBLandCompany {Lisa} is a great lady...she is a friend to all...two and four legged! She is a very good artist and she is an excellent customer!! Over the past 8 months I have gotten to know alot about her and wish I could be more than an online friend. She is so caring and helpful to all.

Lisa jumps right in there and helps with many fund raisers as she is now with the Etsy Angels' fundraiser for Breast Cancer Awareness!

Lisa is an Artist/Designer who founded her business, Creations By Lisa & Company in 1988. With a love for both the earthy, western styles incorporating natures bounty of Gemstones and the elegance as well as playfulness achieved from Artist Glass. She creates beautifully diverse product lines for you to enjoy. She has a great love for animals and her work allows her to donate money to many animal welfare agencies / shelters. Lisa is a member of the Etsy For Animals Street Team, Artist Helping Animals and Etsy Angels Street Team.

You can visit her at blog: http://cbl-co.blogspot.com
and at her shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=30355

Lisa has been a wonderful customer...she has bought a number of items from my shop and has requested many custom orders!

One was a queen sized quilt...that I so enjoyed making! Her latest was this neat kitchen set including 2 table runners, 4 placemats and a poholder set in pinecones!

And there you have a bit about one of my Special Angels....thanks Lisa and it has been so much fun getting to know you...hope we have many years as online friends!

Breast Cancer Awarness....Appreciation!!

When my team was looking for a charity to promote this month ..at first I could not think of which one I wanted to support and vote for but a number of our team mates had suggest Breast Cancer Awareness. What a great idea that was...I have been going for my check ups but never really gave it a whole lot of thought until I started reading some of the stories that have been posted on Etsy! I know I will be doing these more often....

My team and I have been listing and promoting like crazy...and so far we have helped make 78 sales with percentages going to the cause! Everyday we get more helpers wanting to join our cause...It is great to see all the help and donations rolling in.

I would like to thank all those that have been helping out...

Right now I am featured in 2 treasuries for the cause:

MammaJodys...
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=14025

Shaggychic...
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=14153

and featured on these blogs:
http://quidessential.wordpress.com/
http://www.craftsbychrisonline.com/blog/


The moderator of our team is listed in the giftguide as well:
http://ilashgirls.com/etsy-holiday-gift-guide-breast-cancer-awareness/

I hope our efforts get more women to go for their check ups and to check their own breasts on a regular basis! Early detection does save lives!!

I also would like to thank those who bought from my shop and supported this great cause:
Mammajody:
http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=10950527
http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=10950033

Wildlifer:
http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=10909616

Lindagmay:
http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=10813625

Stay tuned for more updates!!

Fall is a beautiful time of year...

I love the fall with all its beautiful colors and cool temperatures! The leaves are turning color, the animals are preparing for the cold weather and so are we.

I was out doors today doing some clean up and I was looking around...I have a lot of maple trees and they are just beautiful. Mind you I will not be thinking that in a few weeks when their leaves began to fall...lol...I will be thinking what great fire wood!

I have a huge grain field across my road and it has a large flock of Canada geese feeding in preparation for the flight south.

My backyard has a truck load of wood just waiting for me to get it in for the winter...check it out. We burn more and more wood each year...Love the smell and the beautiful heat from it. Although it is alot of work. We put it in the basement and we only have a small window so it has to be handed in one stick at a time. As you can see, my weekend will be very busy getting it in - hope the rain holds out!

70 Mile Yard Sale

This was the 11th year for the Annual 70 mile Yard Sale to benefit the Wood Islands Development Corporation....all fees for having your site listed in a booklet are used for events for the community!

I have participated in the event for the past 8 years.....It costs me $15.00 to have my site listed in a booklet that is published and is distributed by our local paper and the Island tourist information centers.

This year there were 150 sites listed....lots more that take advantage of the publicity and set up....which is too bad that they do not spend the few bucks and get their name listed it is great for the community and then it will continue...

My friend and I set up in my yard...we sell crafts, household items, car parts that hubbies will part with, food, clothing and junk...Ummm I mean treasures....lol. I made clam chowder and muffins this year and they were all sold before the end of the first day! Most years I make preserves but this year I did not and I had return customers but could not help them....next year maybe!

Grandson always does great...I sell his clothing, toys, games and anything that is from our home or his and the cash goes to his bank account...this year he was here Saturday to help...he had a great time!

I had a great weekend....met new people, seen people I have not seen for years and some people that come regularly for this sale from other areas....we had 8 couples from Florida that travel in their travel trailers every year at this time just so they can participate...they have a ball and I really do not think that they need some of the stuff they buy....lol...travelling all the way from Florida in a gas guzzler to purchase a used sweater or a .25 ornament!

Here are few pictures of our set up....I even purchased a portable garage for our crafts....I sold over $200.00 worth and my friend sold just about as much...her big sale was the beautiful Santa wall hanging....great deal for someone...$45.00! I did get a couple of custom orders..one for a baby quilt of Winnie the Pooh and 4 Christmas aprons....a mother, 2 daughters and a step daughter. I wish I had remembered to take some shots when the yard was full of people....at one time we had about 15 cars lined up at the road...

Now the next event is the Christmas craft fairs...first one is November 8st and 9th!

Etsy Angels are at it again!!!

The Etsy Angels took a break for a bit but now are out in full force ....our charity this time is helping AWBAR raise money to look after her abandoned fur babies!!! It is a great cause and we hope to be able to raise lots of funds for her.

About AWBAR:
AWBAR is located in Lockport, Illinois and is owned and operated by Amanda Smith. She rehabilitates ducks, raccoons, squirrels, opossums, rabbits, small birds and other small animals.

Relying solely on private donations, AWBAR is NOT a non for profit organization nor is AWBAR attached to any other organization. This is out of the pure love for animals.

AWBAR is currently raising money to help offset the expenses of raising and releasing wildlife in 2008. Expenses include: food, shelter, and vet bills. In addition, AWBAR is raising money to help establish not-for-profit status.

You can read more about AWBAR by visiting the following sites:
Official Website: www.awbar.com
AWBAR Blog: www.awbar.wordpress.com

As of June 24, 2008, AWBAR has lost 13 baby raccoons to the deadly Parvo virus, please we need your help!

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The Etsy Angels are donating a portion of their sales for the month of August to AWBAR ...here is the list of shops participating now but will be adding more later as some of our members are not available at the moment:

Purchases from the Etsy Angels Street Team Members and help out AWBAR!!!!


Wildlifer78 - donating 10% of August sales
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5201027

craftsbychris - donating 10% of August sales
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5197639

Sewinggranny - donating 10% of August sales
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5192730

cblandcompany - donating 10% of August sales
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=30355

MountainEagleCrafter - donating 10% of August sales
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=1451

BeadzNStonezSupplies - Donating 10% of August Sales
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5564707

TigerlilyStudio - Donating 10% of August Sales
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5354139

PaperlanternPatterns - Donating 15% of August Sales
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5561275

BCArtwerks - donating 10% of August sales
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5597256

MerkabaJewelry - donating 10% of August Sales
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5048756

MerkabaBeads - donating 10% of August Sales
http://www.etsy.com/shop_sold.php?user_id=5569272

We have a promo thread going as well...please drop in and check out our shops and help us keep the thread on top:
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5741022&page=1

Also there will be a number of treasuries going for the cause!!

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Wildlifer is our moderator and she is doing a terrific job....Thanks Amanda!!

My First Etsy Custom Order for a Handquilted Quilt!

It all started with a post to my team mates, The Etsy Angels, of the quilt that I was making for myself. CBLandCompany { Lisa } loved it and decided to order one from me for herself....She loved the colors of mine but wanted a different background. After sending her a sample of the fabrics, she decided to go with hunter green!

Here are samples of the colors and the blades to the fans...I cut 150 blades from 5 different fabrics and sewed them together to make 60 fans.....2 for each of the blocks. I am guessing about 10 hours work here.



Next I cut 30 blocks from the hunter green cloth and appliqued the fans on by hand...each set took1 hour, that is 30 more hours.

Then the stripes were cut from the deep burgandy print and sewn around each block to make the quilt front....3 hours work there.

The quilt front, back and batting were then pinned together and the handquilting began...It took me 1 hour to handquilt each block...it is hand quilted all around the blocks and then the fans....30 hours work!

Last but not least the binding was cut, sewn in strips, folded pressed then added to the quilt....2 more hours....

Ta Da....My master piece....and I hope Lisa's!!!!

I have never sat down and made a quilt and kept track of the hours that I put into one ...this is just a rough sample because while making the fans I was watching TV, doing other things so not quite sure how long it took to cut and make each fan blade! I would say I have about 75 hours into this quilt and loved every minute of it........would I do it again? In a heart beat!!!! Do I make any money at it ...no way!


Ok...so my pictures are not in order but I hope you can see the work that I did.....love to hear your comments.....I take constructive critism well!

I would love to make you one of your choice.....just contact me and we can work out the arrangements!

My Day at the Community Craftfair and Yard Sale

I have been doing craftfairs and placing my items in shops on consignment for a number of years and I get calls from people looking for me to join their events. I recieved an email from a lady that was organizing a huge yardsale, craftfair and bake sale in their area and the money for tables and registeration was to go to their Mental Health Group Home. It was to span a huge area and most were just going to set up in their own yard but there was a community one for those out of the area.

For $15.00 plus $5.00 per table, I agreed to give it a try and over I went on Saturday morning!
I got there....no one was sure what was going on...not a good start but finally someone said you can go inside the arena or outside. Well as I have sewn items I opted for inside...proceeded to set up tables and arrange all my items....looked around ...not many people inside and it was cold...no ice but sure felt like it!

An hour later no one was in around...uh oh not good...so some of the vendors began roaming around and found no signs leading people inside ...so off to the $ Store on lady went...purchased some neon bristle board and made signs and placed them on building....well, that helped!

It was a good day...things picked up, met some very nice people and agreed that I would do again next year.

As I was a vendor ...did not get much chance to see what was around but when I finished loading up my crafts there were a number of people with larger displays that were taking their time to get down...I looked around...wow, some really nice items there......next year I am taking someone with me so I can sneak out and have a look at some more of the other vendors items.

Some were just your ordinary yardsale items but some had some cool crafts...I especially liked the work of one disabled artist.....He made a number of different feeders for our feathered friends....I purchased 2 for my dad for Father's Day and what a deal...$10.00 each!

Looking forward to next year and I will stay for the 2 days next time.......only did the one this year.....other plans for second day!

Welcome New Members to the Etsy Angels

Today the Etsy Angels team is formally welcoming our 6 newest members:
Cindyjoy, Raisinlike, Silkcreekgallery, Tiff705, ArrivingAngels and Brynnalex! We are having lots of fun....chats, scavenger word hunt, guessing games, contests and sales today! Check out this thread for more information:
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5651962

I also have a treasury in honor of our new members:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=12196


MY GAME FOR THE DAY:

FIND A SECRET IN ONE OF MY LISTINGS AND CONVO ME...THE WINNERS WILL BE GIVEN A NUMBER AS THEY CONVO ME AND AT THE END OF THE DAY ANOTHE ANGEL WILL PICK A NUMBER AND THE WINNING NUMBER WILL WIN A PRIZE.....ALSO IF YOU PURCHASE THE ITEM WITH THE SECRET IT WILL BE SHIPPED FREE AND 10% DISCOUNT WILL APPLY.....SO BE SURE TO JOIN THE FUN!!!

Anyone can play and join in ...do not need to be a member!

Correct entrants:
1. CBlandcompany

How did I do?

Now that I have posted my first blog and set up my page....what do you think? Other than the fact that I need some pictures but I did it on my laptop and no pictures are stored on it! I would also like to know how you get your etsy mini to post on your blog. I will call it a work in progress.....that will probably only gets some tweaking done when I am working nights as I do not have alot of time at home and I have dial up there ....very slow!

My first Blog

This is my first attempt at blogging...I hope that it is interesting and understandable.

I am not a person that communicates well online ...until I joined Etsy I have never had a conversation with someone online other than on Ebay a quick question. I joined Etsy at the suggestion of a marketing consultant.

I joined Etsy, listed some items and checked out the forums but never participated in them until one night I was checking out a thread that was fundraising for 2 young boys that had lost their mother in a motorcycle accident. For some reason I really became involved it that great venture. I met many beautiful, caring and loving people....when it came time to close the thread I was devastated...I thought I was going to loose contact with these people.

But there was more than I that felt this way and the Etsy Angel team was developed....it was for more than the friendships we developed but also for the help we felt we could give to others. We have done a few charities and have gone through some growing pains but it is still a great team and lots of support is shown here.

We now have 6 more new members that we are going to officially welcome to the team on Friday June the 6th. There will be games, fun and some sales in all our shops. Everyone is welcome to join us. Watch this thread for the one that will be opened on Friday for that purpose:
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5646366&page=1

This is a fun and easy time before we gear up for our next charity...which will be a registered charity...something that we have discovered is probably for the best although we enjoyed the personal aspect of raising funds for individuals it leaves some doubt in others minds about what we do!

The Etsy Angels are a great team...it is the one closest to me but I am also a member of the Fabulous Artist Moms....another team of close knit ladies that show alot of support and friendship.

Stay tuned for more information on The Welcome to the New Members of the Etsy Angels and the Take 10 Tuesday sales by the Fabulous Artist Moms.