Anybody have one of those stories that would be absolutely horrifying to live - but since it's not you, or since it's over - it's freaking hysterical? Particularly holiday stories? I got one!

So when my grandmother was a little girl, she had lots of cousins and for the holidays they would all get together in one house to celebrate. Christmas eve, all the children would sleep in the attic room, all together.

Well, as you can imagine - a ton of children in one room on Christmas eve - excitement is running on full blast. Santa is coming - and they just cannot contain themselves! They're up, running around the room, laughing, making noise, etc.

The parents are downstairs, no doubt drinking and having a grand old time.....waiting for the kids to go to sleep so they can get to work on the presents, and, keep partying.

Well the kids are being rowdy, so the parents take their turns going up and telling them to quiet down and go to sleep....to no avail.

Well - finally they've had enough, my great grandfather goes up there and tells the kids that if they don't quiet down, lay in their beds and go to sleep that he's going to wait outside for Santa - and when he gets here - he's going to SHOOT Santa so they get no presents ever again!

I guess some of the kids were still being unruly after that and making noise.....well....sure enough they hear "jingle jingle jingle" of bells, and some "ho ho ho's" and then.......to the children's horror - they hear "BANG BANG BANG" of a gun! The parents staged the whole thing - stomping on the roof, jingling bells, ho ho ho's....and then shooting a few rounds!

And the kids were devistated.....but quiet, and sat in silence til they fell asleep!

That story is absolutely horrifying, but it makes me laugh every year hahaha.

You got any?

Abbie
*key aspects of the story have been changed to protect the guilty!

The first of my Holiday Trunk Show's went very well last night. A fun time was had by all! I'm all set for my show tomorrow - the Green Trading Post from 12-4 in Southampton, NJ. The great thing about scheduling shows back to back? I get to be lazy and leave my stuff packed up hehehe. And then Thursday is the Holiday Trunk Show at my house, and if yesterday was any inclination of Thursday, I think it's going to be a great day!

Abbie

Good news! I'm having a contest and everyone with a blog can enter! All you have to do to enter is write a blog about my site: http://shop.originalabbie.com and then leave me a link to the entry in the comments on this entry. For every 10 entries, there will be a winner of a $10 gift certificate to my shop (plus free shipping)......if I get 30 entries there will be a "Grand prize" winner of a pair of earrings. You can enter once per blog - so if you have 2 blogs, you can enter twice but it can't be an identical story, change it up a bit
Contest ends December 11th which is 2 weeks from today - and also soon enough to have the item shipped to arrive before Christmas. The shipping will be on me as well!

So - write a blog about this us, then leave me a comment here with a link to your blog!

How will I determine the winners? I'll look for craftiness in the entry, as well as checking my website stats to see if anybodies blog makes my top referrer list....so go for it! And tell your friends! Your odds are 1 in 10, that's not bad!

And feel free to hyperlink this image:
http://originalabbie.com/AbbieShopAd.gif

Abbie

I am really, really upset right now. I just found out that my dear old neighbor, Margie Ellis, has passed away. She lived in Medford for all but one month of her life. I posted a blog back in May about how her house was up for sale, her daughter listed it. Well, October 26th was the closing and they moved out. I've been missing her ever since. She used stop by all the time to see Neil and chat, she cleaned houses for a living and she did a good job right up until the end.
She was born on Cherry Street in Medford, right here in the village, then she moved around the village and finally moved to Cedar St, right next door to where I live where she spent a majority of her final years. You would know her if you saw her, a petite grey haired woman wearing stretchy pants, lots of jewelry, white grey hair up in a bee hive, and sparkling blue eyes. She waved, smiled, and would talk to anyone she saw. She spent many days walking the streets of Medford, visiting her lost loved ones in the Oddfelow's Cemetary. Playing Bingo, going to Church, having coffee in whatever cafe inhabited the corner of Main & Union Streets I know she was in every day back when I had it, and generally just being pleasant and kind.
We would talk to her as we went to our car, she would be sitting on her porch watching the cars go by Cedar street and she would tell us "don't do anything I wouldn't do!....but if you do...name it after me!" and of course always "God Bless You, I love you" She just loved our son, Neil, she couldn't get enough of him.
She was a wonderful person, and I know she hated to leave Medford for Tricia Meadows, Marlton in her final month, but I didn't realize it would lead to her end. She was already sorely missed, I hate seeing her house empty next door to us, the new owners haven't completely moved in yet, though I'm sure they're lovely there is no way they can fill her shoes.....even if they were itty bitty in size! She had a big heart and was always willing to lend a hand, and I will really miss her.
I kick myself for not visiting her in her new house, I kept making excuses - some viable, some not so much - the baby was sick, I was sick, I didn't want to make her ill....but I really wish I'd stopped by to see her and let her know how much she was missed.
I haven't been able to find an obituary yet, I found out through a friend who was asked to keep it on the downlow, but I loved Margie, and I know others did so I'm letting everyone know, I think it's only right. When I do find out more info about her services I will post them here.

Here's some pics of Margie that I have, Dancing at the Cultural Arts Fest, Hanging out in the Cafe, and playing with my son - Neil...

Today is apparently something called "Cyber Monday" This is the first year I've heard of such a thing. Cyber Monday - is the internet counterpart to "Black Friday" where, online retailers kick off the "official" beginning of online shopping season. This all seems like a little bit of a stretch to me, but hey, who am I to judge? I've been around the internet for some time now, and I've never heard of this before.....I've been on the "retailer" side of things for past Holiday seasons too....and I've been Christmas shopping online for years.

Well, there ya have it folks. It's Cyber Monday - so do some online shopping! I've added a new pair of earrings today....."County Claire" earrings....some beautiful green glass earrings that are just beautiful. They are the perfect color to add some holiday cheer to your outfit for Christmas or St.Patrick's Day! And, if you're like me, and green is your favorite color - then they'll match a plethora of your outfits!

Jewelry is one size fits all - so it makes a great holiday present!

Thanks!
Abbie

So instead of going out and waiting in line at 5:00am on Friday, I got productive and made some jewelry on Friday. I'm listing it in dribs and drabs, because I do have a lot coming up - 2 house parties and an art show - "Holiday Shopping at the Green Trading Post" - click for directions - that one is on December 2nd, a Sunday from noon to four. It is a joint event between Pinelands Preservation Alliance and the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, and a portion of my profits will go to them. I will be there with my creations along with Pinelands Folk Music Center, and Anne Marie Woods with her Pinelands Art. Shoppers will also be able to take guided tours of the circa 1753 farmhouse and grounds - the Pinelands Preservation Alliance Headquarters. There is a visitor center, where there is an exhibition of Robin A.Jess: Pinelands Botanical Art prints at the bishop Farmstead. Click here for directions.

Well.....today I listed my Christmas Earrings (newest listings are at the bottom of the page) They're called Hang a Shining Star...from "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" They would be the perfect addition to your beautiful face for Christmas cheer, parties, and outings, heck, even if you *are* out standing in line at 4:00am in front of Best Buy to get that Wii for little Timmy this year (I can't knock it, cause I did it last year lol, not one of my proudest moments) these earrings will bring some cheer, even if they won't keep you from getting frostbite, at least you'll look good and festive!

Ok, 20 minutes until Sean's EMS duty crew ends, with any luck he won't have any calls and we can head out at 6 to hang with some friends
Don't forget - tonight and tomorrow I'm still running my Black Friday Sale - spend $15 get a free magnet or mirror of your choice!

Abbie

Happy Thanksgiving Day to everyone! We're headed out to a full day of yummy turkey & mashed potatoes. The good news is, since I wasn't the one baking like a maniac all week - I had some time to make a few new pieces of jewelry! I'm debating whether to list them or hold them for my Holiday Parties - since there's one next Friday the 30th at my mom's house, and one December 6th at my house I'm not sure if I should list things - or hold them back. I'll decide soon! I'll probably list at least a few of them.
Tomorrow is the dreaded Black Friday.....I'll be staying in and working on my jewelry, hopefully my package arrives so I can get started on my new line! I've ordered a bunch of supplies from different people, and all but one has arrived - an integral one though, so I need that last one to get started!

In accordance with the craziness that is this weekend - I think I will succumb to the insanity and run a special here.... how does free mirror or magnet with any purchase over $15 sound? To claim this prize, once you've completed your sale go to the "contact me" page and tell me which design you would like, and it will appear in your package! Try to do this immediately after your purchase, and be sure to give me your name and email so I know which goes with which!
And the best part - you don't have to get up at 4am, fight traffic, freeze, and wait in line for it! You sit in the comfort of your home and have your tea while you shop!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!
I'm off to have some Turkey!
Abbie

A new Category has been listed! Bracelets! My wrap bracelets are listed, so be sure to take a look, and do some shopping! I've also set up a special category for my special edition items, right now it's only listing is the Ivory Snow Princess which is a stunning set, absolutely breathtaking in person. A great accessory to your winter wardrobe.

If you are local, I've also set a date for my Holiday Trunk Show which will be on December 6th, from 5-9, you can stop by anytime you can between those times, it's just a wandering type of thing - come when you can! I'll have all my artwork and jewelry set up and on display for you to do some browsing and holiday shopping. If you're in the area and want to stop by, come on by - we'll have wine, cheese, light snacks....so it would be great to know if you're stopping by, but it's not a need - if you can, you can! Hope to see you there! This is a great chance to get some low key holiday shopping out of the way - if only we could always shop with wine and snacks!

Thanks!
Abbie

Hello!
I've added some new Jewelry! I've been a busy bee - though the shop is not completely launched, I figure I'll just add things as I can and pretty soon it'll be all done. It's all set for ordering and stuff - you can pay with paypal, or a credit card. You do not need to have paypal to place an order - you can just enter credit card info.
I've been a busy little beaver lately, I made a ton of new earrings and a few bracelets as well - also - a special edition "Ivory Snow Princess" bracelet and earring set that I haven't listed yet - but wow, is it gorgeous.
So, check out some of the new additions to the jewelry category - all earrings so far. Bracelets , necklaces, and pendants to follow as soon as I stop fighting with my camera and get some good pics of them!
Hope you're all feeling the holiday spirit!

Well, over the weekend I was browsing Stars OnDemand and found a movie called "Wal*Mart - The high cost of low prices" and watched it - I couldn't believe it. I've read lots of threads on Etsy about artists boycotting WalMart for one reason or another, but I never heard the nitty gritty details of it - better yet - I'd never seen the proof that this movie provided of all their immoral actions.
Cliff Notes version:

Fair Wages: Walmart pays the minimum amount available to their employees. Full time employees are counted as such at 28 hours. If both parents in a family worked at walmart with 2 kids full time - they would be below the poverty line. The health insurance? $75 out of every paycheck and high copays make it impossible to even use it. This is the part that really gets me - when the employees ask for better benefits - the management suggests going on Government assistance - welfare, wic, medicare/cade......there was a poll in the movie about walmart workers that are on government assistance of some kind......it was ridiculous. I want to say somewhere near $1.5 billion worth of government assistance to these people. So - you may be paying $4.96 to put that shirt on your back, and think you're getting a great deal - but you'll make up the difference and then some in your taxes to support the rest of their employees that they refuse to back. The employees are made to work overtime without pay - by threat of loosing their job if they don't do it. It's just totally unfair. I hate to say it, but this is where a Union would come in handy - but when Wal Mart employees gather and ask for one, they're penalized and threatened to be fired - and flat out told no.

Made in China: Their products are made anywhere but here. Why - because that's where they get the cheapest labor. Something to the tune of $3 a day for sweatshop workers in China. These workers live in what is basically indentured servitude. Large dormitories of people, sharing rooms - they are charged for rent, and utilities - which seems fair -until you learn that they have to pay rent there whether they live there or not.When rep's come from USA to inspect the workplace, moral, etc - they turn a blind eye. The workers are given scripts to memorize so they know what to say when they are asked if they are happy with their job and conditions. If they lie - they loose their job. They are physically punished, as well as reprimanded in their jobs. They also work 7 days a week. None of this is a choice - if they don't want to work in these conditions - they are fired. Toys, etc - cost about .18cents to make, Walmart sells them for $14.97

Closing of Small Towns: Once a Wal Mart comes to town, the mom and pop stores that have been in business since WW2 and longer, close down. They simply can not compete with Wal Mart's prices! Granted - that's not Wal Mart's fault, that's just business - take your beautiful small town - like the one I live in - and bring a Wal Mart to it - what happens? Small businesses close - no new businesses return in their place because they know they can not compete with Wal Mart - so what does that leave? Empty storefronts and buildings - what does that lead to? No jobs - (or poverty stricken Wal Mart Jobs - and plenty of people chomping at the bit to take them) which leads to poverty......which leads to your once beautiful small town being vacant, a great place for crime in all those empty buildings - no jobs - and boom - small town life is gone. Once that small town life is gone - no amount of cash will bring it back....it's not really worth all those cheap prices after all, is it?

What also gets me mad, is the Wal Mart corporation is masquerading as Christians. This is not the way Christians act, and they are giving us all a bad name. The walton family is worth somewhere near $175 Billion dollars - among 6 people.....they have the ability to fix all this, and they don't!

So please, this holiday season and forever - do not buy from Walmart! It's costing you, and everyone - way more than the price on the tag!

I know this isn't my usual type of blog - it's probably coming across very liberal - and for some of you that may surprise you considering I'm a staunch Republican Christian - but these people are doing wrong - and wrong is wrong - no matter their religion, or their political standpoint. It is way beyond either of those things at this point.

Oh - and not in the movie - but in other research I've done, I've found that Wal Mart is actually suing the Laboratories that are investigating the presence of Lead in toys? Wal Mart really cares about nothing but themselves, and making money! I could really go on and on - just watch the movie! It's free on Starz OnDemand if you have it - look for it! You'll be shocked!

Thanks!
Abbie

This sounds like a really fun night. There is a "Ladies Night" at Creative Genius Art Gallery & Studio here in Medford - where you'll find tons of cool artwork - some of my own stuff is in there too. This ladies night is going to be all about fun, shopping, and picking out a "wish list" for ourselves to help our clueless significant others figure out what we want! Buying handmade is an excellent idea for any holiday - it's unique, you know there will not be any duplicate gift giving if it's a one of a kind item - and you'll be supporting the arts! It's a great way to spread holiday cheer. I know this year I took the Handmade Pledge will you? Give a gift that people will cherish!

Anyway, here's the info on Ladies Night! Hope to see ya there!


 
Wednesday, November 28 - 6-9pm
Ladies! Have a night out at Creative Genius Art Gallery. Bring your friends and join us for an evening of shopping, food and fun. There will be food and wine with drawings for prizes. We will be hosting a trunk show by jewelry artist Michele Grady who is also displaying her newest exhibit “HAMMERED!” now running thru January. You'll have a chance to get great gift suggestions for the special people in your life, just in time for the holidays and select treasures for your own WISH LIST Registry, which we will then provide to the men in your life when they come in shop for your perfect holiday gift! We hope you will join us!
Creative Genius  Art Gallery & Studio
32 N. Main St. Medford, NJ 08055
609-714-1131
www.creativegeniusonline.com

Halloween night: as told by:
Neil the blogger!


This is the back of my costume, I was a three eyed monster - I'm showing off the back because the front...

well, the front...I didn't like my costume so much, I was pretty bratty and Momma thought we were going to cancel trick or treating

But then I learned that trick or treating yields me some candy!

sweet sweeeeeeeet CANDY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's me and Daddy -
Daddy was "Dr. Acula" from Scrubs. We were at Grandma's house in this picture.

Here's a neat totem pole made out of real pumpkins! I loved it!


Yeay! This whole costume thing isn't so bad!

Look at all my candy I got!

Mine! All My Candy! It's all for meeeeee!

Ohhh sugar ohhh honey honey!

I'll give the computer back to Mommy now!


Trick or Treating was a hit! He had a good time, despite his hatred of his costume initially. We had 2 days of trick or treating - the 30th in Toms River, they t&t the day before Halloween to try to discourage the whole mischief night thing - it doesn't work, but it lets us spend the holiday w/ my family, and at home with my mil too.

I had the house all decked out for Halloween, I'm attaching some pics here too, since I'm already going hog wild with the photo post hehe.

Enter our scary house of Galie!

Beware the Headless Horseman! (made by me!)

Here's some of my fall/halloween inspired artwork, and some more Halloween decor

My fav Halloween pumpkin

The candy for the kiddos, we got lots of trick or treaters, and honest ones at that - while we were out trick or treating ourselves I left candy on the porch for the kids - there was still some left when we got back!

And, the piece-de-resistance - our Halloween Village. Haunted Witches House & Dracula's Castle


Happy Halloween!

Abbie

Ahhh well yesterday, day two of the handmade festival was *not* a bust, thankfully. It started out slow, just like Saturday. The weather, on the other hand - was much nicer. The wind took some things out a few times throughout the day, but the rain and humidity were totally gone, thank God. Jenn & I kinda decided beforehand that if it rained like Saturday we were going to just cut our losses and go home.
We were really slow all morning, there at 8:30, my parents came out & showed us some support, some friends visited & stuff. Pretty soon is was 1:30, still no sales. That was the general theme among the vendors near us, that this place was geared towards children, - grabby, grubby, sticky, funnel caked and apple donut covered fingers of children, all over. (Boy, that sounded really a lot like a cf rant, it's not that at all, I just don't like it how parents let their kids go wild "OOOh mom look at thiiiiiiiiiiis" and touch everything they possibly can. It's really just bad parenting, or rude parenting at least.
Well, around 1:30 or so things picked up, I sold few pairs of my horns, I think about 5 or 6 pairs, I lost count, and silly me didn't inventory ahead of time, duh. I sold a few pieces of jewelry too, walked away in the positive, so, that's a good thing! All in all, it was a success.
I don't think I'll do that show next year though, I mean, I made a decent amount, but I still don't think it was my bread and butter spot. Plus, 2 day events are just killer.

Now that this is behind me, I'm going to focus on getting my things into my etsy shop. I've been ignoring the shop a bit, listing things are a pain in the butt and time consuming,but worth it hehe.

More pics from yesterday are in my flickr account!

Abbie

Etsy Buy Handmade WinterCast

Etsy Buy Handmade AbbieRoad

Ahhhh the show was a bust. It was a "Murphys Law" kind of day. We got all nice & set up (there @7:45, though it didn't start til 10) and it started raining out of nowhere, so we had a mad dash to protect our stuff and keep it dry, it was a wreck.

Then we got it set back up, makeshift rain covers hung up from the sides, screaming baby (mine) but we made it work with what we had, THEN it started raining AGAIN.

Even more makeshift-ness. We looked like drowned rats, our stuff was all over, we no longer had coverage of all our storage crap under the tables because every available cloth (and we had brought extras) was being used as a rain wall, or soaking wet.

Then it got to be about 90*. Neil started acting up, screaming, sweating, it was a wreck. Sean finally got out of class and made his way over, took Neil home. It didn't rain again, of course I spilled Neil's juice cup.....it was just one thing after another.

After all that, I sold one pair of horns. ONE! I think the weather really deterred people from going, hopefully tomorrow will be better, I think it will, **crosses fingers**

Tomorrow at least I wont' have to wake Neil up & take him with me, that just started the day off horribly. He whined "NOOOO MAAAAA!" as I took him from his crib @ 7:15, he was just not happy from then on, but all things considered, he was about as patient as I could have expected.

But, I did get pics, tomorrow hopefully things will look better, because we'll have no rain! So I'm getting more pics tomorrow. But - I put pics up anyway, I looked like a drowned rat, so there are no pics of me in this set haha.


Be sure to look @ the big versions of the pics, I put notes on them & more commentary hehe. Pointed out some stuff you might miss otherwise too.

http://flickr.com/photos/abbieroad/

I think there's like 8 pics, more tomorrow-- I promise : )

Of course, my big sale of the weekend so far was my dear friend melissa ( she ordered my nest of pearls earring & necklace set.
Thanks Melissa! You're the best!

Alright kiddos, I'm beat. I'm heading to bed.
Wish me luck tomorrow!
Abbie

If you're looking for something to do this weekend, something fun to ring in the new fall season - the official opening of Indian Acres Tree Farm, on Tuckerton Road in Medford, NJ. There is a Handmade Festival - arts and crafts - only handmade stuff - so you know it's a good one! The festival is both Saturday AND Sunday from 10-4.

I will be there, my new jewelry line, my artwork - lots of new stuff that I've been busting my hump over! I'll have my brand new banner up on my canopy, you can't miss me

That banner didn't come easy either - it was an old banner for Conserve Wildlife NJ that they didn't need anymore, so I got it - free - peeled off the old vinyl letters, cleaned the sticky goo residue off that it left, and painted it w/ my acrylics! I'm going to seal it tonight, but I have to wait for Sean to get home.

So - come by & see me, I'll be giving out some freebies too while supplies last!

Incase you don't know what I do, here's a sneak peak of some things that will be there - this is only the tip of the iceburg, there is much much more!

Abbie

Over the last year, now more than ever, I've seen a lot of websites, videos, books, - even the History Channel - about the "9/11 Conspiracy". This angers me. Particularly a video called "Loose Change" but there are many others, myspaces, etc. For some reason, they think the government is behind 9/11, that somehow, they government has pulled off this big hoax, and blamed the terrorists. A hoax so elaborate, that not one, but two planes would go into the Twin Towers, and that a third plane didn't really crash into the Pentagon - it was blown up from the inside - now, the actual location of the plane that crashed, well, that I'm not sure how they're playing that off. The government (or, Vast, right wing conspiracy) even went far enough to create hero's like Todd Beamer the "Let's Roll!" guy, of course, according to them, he was a paid agent ready to die for his country.
This infuriates me. How is it that these people believe this? And if they think our government is so almighty and powerful, to orchestrate this great big conspiracy, and even go to war over it - well - tell me why, in the vast conspiracy, that they can't kill a couple of teenagers coming out with websites saying it's a hoax and uncovering it all? How hard would it be for them to cover their tracks a bit, and off the few but loud guys that are screaming that this is a hoax? Why would they be alive, if this were true? If our government would go to the lengths to kill two towers full of people, 4 planes full of people, 343 firefighters, and more - what's it to them to kill a couple of kids who are outing them? It would be a drop in the bucket compared to the deaths on 9/11!

So, on the eve of the sixth anniversary of 9/11, I am going out, I am living my life, I'm not afraid. I remember, I've mourned, I will never forget - but I'm not living a life of fear. I feel proud of our country, and our soldiers. It's amazing to me the sacrifices they can make for their country. I can barely stand the fact that my husband is a firefighter, putting himself willingly into dangerous situations, and that usually only lasts a day, or even just a few hours, and he's back in my arms. I can just imagine the heartache felt by families that our soldiers have to leave behind.

Ahh, anyway, after that rant, I'm kind of at a loss for words. I'm happy to be here, I'm patriotic, I'm proud of our country too. Do something nice for your neighbors, remember to smile, and remember that the world you're living in does not come cheap, so appreciate it.

Abbie

Since I've posted pictures of Neil. He is 19 months today, so it seems appropriate! Yesterday was a beautiful fall day, or at least a glimpse of fall, a fall preview, perhaps. I really don't enjoy summer, though I do enjoy the fact that school is out and we don't have mobs of traffic on our street from St. Mary's school, which, all the parents and faculty use our street as a "short cut" out - 9 times out of 10 ignoring the fact that there is a speed limit (25mph) as well as a stop sign, on our street. It's mainly just a constant strand of over priced four wheel drive vehicles that have never even *seen* the woods, and wouldn't know how to handle a four wheel drive situation if their lives depended on it. They don't see my house though, because they're too busy speeding, digging in their purse and talking on their cell phones to notice anything. Starting this week that will all start up again since it's officially "Back to School" time.

Neil is good, he's 19 months today, he's hysterical and a total lunatic sometimes. He'll toss all the pillows off the sofa onto the floor, and then stand on the sofa, lift his arms up over his head and free fall down onto the sofa. This kid is doing trust falls onto anything and everything that will accept it. It's hysterical. He gets so giggly and silly, even as I'm tucking in he's cracking up like I'm tickling him, not tucking the blanket around him. It really makes me laugh!

Well, I gotta run, my Mom and Gommy (my grandma) are on their way up with my bro & sis to unload some furniture from my Nanny & Pop Pop's house. We're getting their patio set, its cool looking, I think I'm going to enjoy having it, as bitter sweet as it is. I miss them, it's easy for me to pretend that they're still alive, up north, in their big yellow house.

Ok, onto the pictures - I'm putting one in here, you gotta click "read more" for the rest, since there's so many of them


Read More...

Neil is almost 19 months now, and I am constantly looking for cool baby clothes for him. "Little Man" clothes is what I call it. I mean, sure, I get a kick out of putting him in cute little Carters outfits that are all babyish and stuff, but I really love finding cool, hip, one of a kind type stuff that you don't find everywhere!
So - when I found the Trendy Tadpole - I was psyched. Categorized by Witty, Hip and Trendy - this line of kids clothes is perfect for the alternative kid! It helps that I completely love Johnny Cash, and they have two Johnny Cash shirts for tots - one that reads "I Love Johnny Cash" which is awesome - and I love that they do it in pink too, for the girl babies (since I'd love to have a girl sometime in the FAR future) It comes on pink, blue, white, or raglan (Baseball) sleeve. I just wish it came with white ink on black, long or short sleeve T, that would be perfect for me! But - what I am probably going to get from them is their "Boy in Black" Shirt, black, with white screen printing. Neil will look so cute in that! Neil actually does like dancing to Johnny Cash too, he gets on his knee's and shakes his booty!
If you'd rather your baby rock The King - they have an Elvis shirt too and I do love Elvis, I just love Johnny Cash more! Boy is it hard picking between two legends! Other musician shirts include a mock AC/DC - done as "AB/CD" and a Bob Marley shirt that are equally adorable. And just for the little girlies of the group, this "These Booties are Made for Walking" onesie is just precious, nothing like a little Nancy Sinatra for your kiddo's! I say start them early with the good music, then maybe when they grow up they won't listen to people like Britney and Lindsay!

If music isn't your thing, and you prefer a more trendy look - check out their tattoo inspired heart, or their Buddha Belly Shirt, or - for the lucky charm of the group, this Born Lucky shirt could be perfect! These would be great baby shower gifts too, if you don't have your own little one. You could start being the "cool Aunt" from the word go!

So, check them out!
Abbie

I'm not usually one to snark on spelling or grammatical errors, but this one, well, it's just too easy. After reading a thread, which I was drawn to because of the amazing golden locks that seem to have the power to make any thread 1000 times more interesting, I found myself curious enough to try to find what this alleged hate speech was, so, I searched a few terms. I don't think this is the article in question, I'm actually pretty certain it's not. But - I couldn't stop myself from laughing. This adorable t shirt leaves me asking "Your retarded what?" Maybe - "your retarded yellow shirt??" Hubby thinks it's possible they did that on purpose, as an even bigger joke - I don't know, I don't think so though.
Anyway, here's my Etsy stupid for today:

Shop name has been blurred to protect the guilty

Abbie

We had Neil's 18 month appointment today. He's weighing in at 25.9lbs, he's 33" tall - growing like a little weed She was happy w/ his talking and all - for those who don't see him, he says a handful of things -
mama
dada
ni-no-na ("Fiona" our dog's name)
ohhh no!
no
what's that?!
that
"mmmm" when he wants a bite of things

he says other stuff, those are some headliners. He's babbling non stop, you'd swear he was carrying on a real convo =- and I think he thinks so too!

She was concerned about his lack of walking. He can walk if he's holding my hand, one or two hand hold,he can walk with the push walkers, or along tables & stuff. He can stand on his own, climb stairs one foot at a time, climb up and down off sofa's, beds - you name it - but, he's not walking on his own.
She said if he's not walking on his own by the end of summer that we should go to early intervention and get him some physical therapy. I'm curious what you mom's / mom like's think of this.
My thoughts - trusting my gut, and the mom in me - I think he needs time and I'm willing to wait. He didn't have use of his feet because of the clubbed foot until October of last year - he was 9 months at the time - and all 9 months of his life his foot was casted/operated on/casted again/bound in funky shoes connected with a bar - I mean, what do they expect, really? He learned to get around by other means (crawling at the speed of lightening) and I think he just doesn't see a reason to walk - he gets everything he wants by crawling/climbing. I know he will walk eventually what is the big deal if he doesn't do it in 30 days. I don't feel comfortable setting time limits on this milestone, honestly.
On the other side, taking off the gut/mom hat, and putting on the first time parent hat - I feel like I shouldn't second guess the doctor. She's the trained one. Then again, if it were up to her, I would have been formula feeding from nearly the word go - so - while I love her as a doc, I know I sometimes have the better call.

So, other than loosing the baby race with other moms "omg MY BABY was walking at 8 months! and he says full sentence in proper English! he feeds himself and doesn't spill a drop on his clothes/face! He also shits money, files my taxes, and is putting an addition on the house over the kitchen he's SOOOOOO advanced!"
What am I really loosing? He's going to walk eventually, I feel like the kid has had enough *necessary* medical intervention, and he just needs to play and be a kid, not be shuffled back and forth to doctors.
We see the orthopedist @ Children's Hospital in October - if he's not walking by then, I'll see what he thinks. I have a feeling he'll be walking by then though.

I also found this, on late walkers, from Dr.Sears
here's the highlight that is pertinent to Neil

"Late walkers are more likely to be content to entertain themselves with seeing and fingering fun than with motor accomplishments. A late walker goes through the crawl-cruise-stand-walk sequence slowly and cautiously, calculating each step and progressing at his own comfortable rate. When he does finally walk, he walks well."

that is Neil to a T - he's quiet and easily amused by himself, he doesn't need 10,000 toys all dancing, singing, blinking, shaking and flipping to keep his attention focused. He loves to sit and read his books, play with his little bead maze toy......that kind of quiet playing, that is oh so nice for me.

So, there's his 18 month update
Here's a pic of him on our recent vaca to PA - he decided to navigate a bit

I'm home from my vacation. We were out in the middle of nowhere, really, the middle of nowhere in PA at ETAR - Eastern Traditional Archery Rendevous

I'd never really done much archery, just a bit here and there at my inlaw's house, but, I was actually pretty good! I was hitting the targets, and I was doing better than Hubby! (Which I rubbed in, profusely)

We were @ Denton Ski mountain, and you hike through the woods, they had various animal targets set up in various levels of difficulty - up on a hill, down on a ditch, between many many trees. I did good! I didn't break any arrows (unlike hubby)

Anyway, did you all miss me? Did you even notice I was gone?! hehe, What did I miss?

Abbie

I have a new art print! This is something I haven't done (for sale) in a long time - mixing my hand drawing abilities and my graphic art abilities - and what's come of it - my new print - "Walk in the Roses and Don't Fear the Thorns"


These roses are were hand drawn by me, and then digitally colored by me, inspired by vintage tattoo art. They are available in 6 colors, please let me know your color request in "message to seller" when you purchase this item.

I personally have these in my house in a group of four, I love the way they look that way, all together - different, yet, the same.

Roses come in the following colors:
1. True Rose Color (True Love, a love stronger than thorns)
2. Yellow Roses ( Friendship, the rose of familiar love)
3. Blue Roses ( Fantasy and Impossibility, the quest for the fantastical)
4. Orange Roses (Proudness, this rose says you're proud of yourself, or the recipient)
5. Pink Roses (The Roses of sweet thoughts, grace, elegance, and refinement )
6. Really Red Roses (Passion, this rose is the marriage of passion, love, and infatuation - not for the faint of heart!)

Please let me know which rose you would like when you check out.

Roses are Red, Yellow, Orange, Pink and Blue - it doesn't matter the color so long as it's for you!

So, I decided it was time for a new art portfolio, the old one was rough and hard to navigate - so, I updated it. It's all flashy now hehe. I swore I wouldn't give into flash, but, I did.

Check it out:

http://art.originalabbie.com or, you can just click the "artwork" link to your right in the sidebar.

Things are good with life, Neil's getting big - here he is, I know, messy face pics are a major no no in some parenting communities, but hey, I parent for my son! Not for them! And I think these are damn cute pics. The other pic he's reading his book, he loves his books He's just like his Daddy.


he knows how to ham it up for the camera too!

Abbie

Happy 4th of July to all my American readers. Go out & celebrate America by blowing up a small chunk of it. Fireworks galore last night, Neil loved them!



Happy 4th of July!

Abbie

It's a beautiful day out today, the sun is shining but it's actually pretty cool out on the eve-eve of our countries independence anniversary Last week this time it was about 104* with 90% humidity. I can't handle that kind of heat. It's nice now though, I might take the baby to the park later on, enjoy the weather.
Other than that, not much to update. I'm going through my first attempt at getting a refund through Paypal, I bought an item on Etsy and never received it. Seller claimed it was stolen from her box - and that she reshipped immediately. Not so - that was on June 6th. So, I left her a negative feedback (Which prompted others to leave her negative feedbacks as well) and filed reports w/ Etsy admin's and paypal. I still love Etsy, one bad egg isn't going to spoil the whole lot. I'll let ya know how it all turns out.
I'm still miffed about being muted in the Etsy forums earlier in June (I'm unmuted now, it was only a 3 day mute). I emailed w/ admin about it, they responded, but gave me no real answers. Looking back - I don't think I did anything wrong per say. When the person I was fighting with started getting nasty in her thread - I stopped posting any replies and notified admin via email. Then she sent me dozens of nasty convo's when she didn't get a rise out of me in the forums. I replied to the convo's, nothing mean, I just told her to leave me alone and seek professional help - then I reported the convo's to admin. Then - and I'm assuming this is why I was muted - I posted this thread, Ohhh I got my first hatemail but - I never called out the person, I didn't say who it was or even intricate details of what she said - I just said it was hatemail, and made myself feel better by surrounding myself with friends in the forum and laughing off the hate mail. When she started posting to MY thread - I stopped replying, as to not fight in the forums. Then a day or so later, I get an email from admin that I'm muted for 3 days for "fighting in the forums and breaking the rules" hmmm...where exactly did I break the rules? How was my thread any different than threads that ask what to do when you receive hateful convos? I never called out, and I avoided fighting! I've emailed w/ admin and asked, one - why did I not receive a letter or warning -- which - according to their own admin - will be sent out prior to muting. So - I emailed asking why exactly I was muted - and why I received no letter or warning. Their answer was shady and cloudy. They said in "extreme cases" people are muted outright with no warning. So - I'm supposed to believe that my case was EXTREME and needed immediate action. Yeah, ok. I'd love to see what they consider mild rule breaking, if what I did was extreme. Their answer? They recommended I email with the newly formed "community" @etsy.com for more answers, as they are the forum specialists now. You know what they had to say? Nothing. They didn't answer. My bet? Somebody is having a power trip w/ the mute button.
What happened to the girl that harrassed me? The same thing. Now - she repeatedly called me out in the forums, talked trash about my artwork - and tried to egg me into a fight, then when I didn't get nasty in public, she sent me over a dozen convo's about how my work is crappy and I don't belong here and I'm this and that. She got the same punishment I did. 3 days muted in the forums. Gee, that seems really fair, doesn't it? Not that I'm looking for Etsy to take further action now, it's over, it's passed, she stopped sending me convos, whatever - but they screwed up, and, it ticks me off. I've been a bit more quiet in the forums since that whole fiasco.
Well, I didn't start out to write an etsy rant, but, gee, it sure turned into one.

Abbie

This is a bit long, but totally worth the read - you'll never look at school bus's the same again:

Well, normally I feature Etsy people - this gal's not on Etsy yet I've been working on it though hehe. Her name's Tori, or, lakinicoyote for those who reside in the land of livejournal. She's got a little boy born the same day that Neil was born, and she's an artist too. She's been drawing lots of custom portraits for some of the mama's in lj land - and I've been admiring them for some time now. Well, she did one of my little one today, and I just love it! Here's the picture she based her portrait of, right next to her portrait:

She really did a good job! This was Neil in his Halloween Costume, he was about 9 months old in the picture. So - if any of you want a really professional and talented artist to draw you or your little one (or anything - I've seen her do portraits of dogs and stuff too) find her through her personal livejournal, or her community on livejournal. She's on myspace too. She's uber affordable, portraits starting at only $10! I'm trying to get her to open up a shop on Etsy, but she's holding out for now, but she'll probably be there eventually too.

In other news, things are going pretty well. I've been working out at the gym nearly every day. I've lost some weight, gained some muscle - lost a collective 8.75" from all around - that was about a week and a half ago, so it's probably even more lost by now I'm really enjoying the gym, it's good to go clear my head after a long day of being with a toddler hehe. My little cousin is going off to college, and I painted something just for her for her new dorm room - I'll post pics after I give it to her, incase she sees this, I don't want to ruin it
Well, it's Friday night, Sean will be home soon - it's been raining all day which is a welcomed thing at this point, seeing as the days prior were sooo hot and humid - I think it was 104* on Wed, with 90% humidity. We went swimming at my parents house, they have a salt water pool - Neil loved it, he swam in his froggy swimmy that Anya (my mother) gave him for almost 2 hours! Kickin his little legs and splashing his hands - he's a total water rat! We're going down tomorrow, I'll try to get pics if we're swimming this time.

Take care - and support the arts!
Abbie

William Robert Buzz Boos


BOOS William Robert Buzz Boos Industrial realtor and WWII Navy vet, 86 William Robert Buzz Boos, 86, died on Wednesday, June 6, 2007, in Manor Care Facility in New Providence. Visitation will be held on Monday, June 11, 2007, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Higgins Home for Funerals, 752 Mountain Blvd., Watchung, followed by a 1 p.m. funeral service at the funeral home. Entombment will be in Somerset Hills Memorial Park in Basking Ridge. To send condolences, please go to higginsfuneralhome.com. Mr. Boos was born in Newark, grew up in South Jersey and lived in Scotch Plains before moving to Warren in 1958. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and was an industrial realtor for Garibaldi Realty in Chatham for over 25 years before retiring in 1987. He was a Free Mason and Shriner of Crescent Temple and a member of its Yacht Club, serving as commodore in 1964. He had his own plane and was a member of the Flying Club at Somerset Airport. Mr. Boos was predeceased by his wife, Elsie Betty Boos, in 2006. Surviving are his daughters, Betty Orthouse of Wall and Karen Ciambriello of Stirling; his brother, Donald Boos of Garwood; his grandchildren, Jennifer Mylod, Amy and Alexis Ciambriello; his great-grandchildren, Abigail, Emiline and Philip, and one greatgreat-grandchild, Cornelius.
Published in the Star-Ledger on 6/7/2007.

Well, things are pretty crappy right now, to be completely honest. My PopPop had a stroke about 2 weeks ago and he's been deteriorating since then. At first we had some hope that he would recover, but I think, no, I know that he's given up. He'll be with my Nanny soon, who passed away just over a year ago. He is still *in* his body, looking, squeezing our hands, trying to talk,half smiling at us. We went up yesterday and I told him that I love him and I told him a few of the memories that I have with him that mean a lot to me. It was seriously a difficult thing for me to put into words, but I'm glad I did it. I felt bad crying in front of him, I know he must hate that, but it's unavoidable. It's awful to watch a loved one like that, it's just terrible. I'm trying to think of the bright side, that when he passes, he'll be reunited with my Nanny, his wife of 65 years, and his parents, siblings, aunts and uncles, all the family and friends that have already passed. It's helping, but, it's not overwhelming the fact that he's going to be so dearly missed by everyone he's leaving behind. We've been compiling photo's, scanning them in and restoring them. I'm going to put together a slideshow of photo's, with some video clips for every one in the family, we'll play it at the funeral too, it should be really nice. It's sad to make it, but I'm enjoying memorializing him like this. My "real" grandfather wasn't much of a....well, lets just say Pop Pop was more my grandfather, even though he was technically a Great Grandfather. He was a great man. I told him I loved him, and I told him how much fun I had with him growing up, and the things that I used to really look forward to when I was little, and the memories that I'll cherish well into my own old years. It was hard to say, because goodbye's are always hard. I knew it was a goodbye, he knows it's goodbye, but I never actually said "goodbye" I just said "see ya later" when we left. It's heartbreaking though.
Here's Pop Pop with my son, Neil his only Great Great Grandchild- this was right after Christmas of 2007.

In the meantime, I'm having issues with Etsy. Someone took offense to something I wrote and proceeded to hate-convo me as well as post negative things about me personally and professionally in the forums. I reported it to Admin, and - they banned BOTH of us from the forums for 3 days. Fine, ya know, I guess I broke the rules but she broke WAY more rules, so, why do we have the same punishment? Seems really unfair. I think I'll be avoiding the forums from here on out, or, at least for a while. I feel really betrayed. I was already down, because of all this PopPop stuff, and in the mist of it all this crap happens, well, ya know I just don't like it, and I don't need the extra stress. Etsy forums, up until now, has been a place for me to chat, offer advice, promote, help other users with various issues - goof off and have fun discussions. Well, I feel really betrayed now. She said outright mean and hurtful things - in public forum as well as in non stop convo's, and yet - we have the same punishment. I'm very emotional, and I know that I'm taking this personally, but ya know, it feels pretty personal. The things this girl said - didn't bother me, that's one person's opinion, but - Etsy admin's ruling on it is what's making me upset. I can't help but take it personally. So, whatever, I guess this girl wins. All it's doing is motivating me to get my zencart working, and leave Etsy. I never thought I'd think of leaving Etsy because I've liked it so much for the last year plus that I've been with them - but, it's kinda like the trust is gone now, so, the magic is lost.

In other news, I joined a gym with my best bud Crissy. We went together a few times, with PopPop being sick my schedule's been whacky so I've been going at odd hours, but the important thing is I'm going. I'm starting to really like it. I went today, after a really hard couple of days personally, and I just blasted my iPod and zoned out. I worked, and sweat, but I didn't want to leave. An hour and a half later I left, feeling a bit better. Tomorrow I meet with the trainer and hopefully she'll set up a work out routine, so I'm not just winging it anymore. One thing I've confirmed, I have really strong legs. Like, really strong - think Sayid in the season finale of Lost, snapping that guy's neck with just his legs - kind of strong. Funny. Don't mess with me, I might snap your neck with my legs of STEEL heh.

Ok, well, I'll go now. This is a really personal post, I've kinda steered away from personal post's in this blog for a while, cause, well, it's just soooo out there, but ya know, I wear my heart on my sleeve. Anyone who knows me, knows that. Anyone who knows me has heard me scream, cry, laugh, accost strangers - so - you all might as well too. Why not, right? I got nothing to hide.

Abbie

Hey!

I'm on the front page of Etsy today! Well, my painted mirror "Word to Live By" is on the front page Front page items are treasuries made by etsy users. Then Admin goes through and pics one to put on the front page! And today, I'm in it! Woo hoo!

And thank you to the wonderful and talented DottyRal for letting me know, cause I probably would have completely missed it, it's been a busy day - and I've barely been on the computer!

I've been making custom wedding favors for a little while now and I've always had plans of branching out and making invites. I've had these idea's in my head, but I never actually put them down and made them until now. So - I'm officially starting to make custom wedding invitations now as well. You can check out a whole bunch of pics on my flickr account - but here's a pic, just to wet your appetite hehe

These can be customized in any fashion, and they include an RSVP card and envelope. I'm thinking I'll be charging $2 per set, with a minimum order of 50 sets. Less than 50 sets will be $3.50 per set. Set includes customization, invite,envelope,rsvp card, rsvp envelope.

In other news, it's getting hot out, which means I shall surely become a shut in with my air conditioning, and should be working on some fab new products soon! May has been a great month, I've had a good amount of sales all around. My fav piece ever - my American flag piece, titled "United in Freedom" (link takes you to a print of the piece) but yes - my fav piece sold this month. It was in the Creative Genius Gallery in Medford, NJ. So, I'm happy it found a good home! Yay! Just in time for Memorial Day!

In honor of Memorial Day - I'm having a 50% off sale on my American Flag Print this holiday weekend (Sat/Sun/Monday) - making the print only $9.50 for an 8x10. Just buy it from my etsy store and in the message to buyer - write "Blog Memorial Day Promo" and I will send you a revised invoice to pay through paypal. Shipping charges will apply, but they're not much.

Happy Memorial Day!

Abbie

New Jersey is on fire, as we speak. It started off smaller, around 5:30-6:00 it was 2500 acres, which, is huge. Now, at nearly 9:00 at night - my husband, who is a firefighter here in Medford, and down on the scene said it's up to an estimated 5000 acres. The towns of WarrenGrove, and Pine Grove are in imminent danger of being taken by the fire. Manahawkin is being evacuated along with other areas, all of Rt 72 is closed - including Coyle Field, which is where emergency medical helicopters fly out of and are stored. This is huge.
Here's some quick snap shots my hubby was able to snag on the way in, they're pretty far from the actual scene, and they're blurry, cause he was still moving on the truck when he took them, if I get more, I'll add them.
Please pray for everyone in these areas! Fire is a viscous thing, and it multiplies something like 17 times it's size every minute, if it's not contained, there are many men and women out there fighting it back, so please pray for them that they all stay safe and are able to contain this fire. I know first hand the devastation fire leaves behind, so, pray there won't be any more effected by it.


*images not to be used without written permission from me*
Abbie
http://abbieroad.etsy.com

I'm doing a photo blog today, why? Because people like pictures. Because a picture is worth a thousand words, because, well, I got camera happy.

In other news though, we've been looking for some fun backyard toys for my son Neil, who is 15 months now. I've been scouring Craigslist for Little Tikes stuff - boy, does it move fast or what! Well, people up the street from us had a whole bunch of cool stuff. It was "bulk trash week" and they had a TON of backyard toys. So, reluctantly, Sean took me down with the van to load it up. He thought it was too dirty, but alas, he did not know the real magic in Mr.Clean Magic Erasers (or, Target's brand at least) I spent Sunday scrubbing them silly until they were as good as new, sun faded a bit, but as good as new! Sean mowed the lawn, it looks really nice back there. Here's a pic of our awesome trash picking adventures lol:

Neil loves them, he just sits on them and squeals in delight, it's so cute. We're probably going to BBQ soon and really enjoy the back yard.

Also, one of my bestest buds Crissy is graduating from College, she's all official now Congrats Crissy! You know I love ya, and I'm proud of you!

My newest item: Custom Birth Announcements!


Bringing a new baby into your life is an amazing event celebrated by many. This new baby will be loved by bundles of people, that's no doubt! Old fashioned ways of announcing a birth are not very practical - send out a card with a picture of the baby on it, or in it, announcing the day your precious baby was born, and his or her weight. It works, but it's nothing special.

This new baby is special - so why not let it's birth announcements be special too?! Why send out a card, that will sit on the kitchen counter for a few days and then make it's way to the trash?

There are other options!

Send out customized birth announcements, on magnets or mirrors!
Magnets are a wonderful way to announce the birth of your child - why? Because they will not only be useful - as a refridgerator magnet, but they will be adorable too! The recipient of this magnet will get to see your infants bright new and shining face every day! These also make a nice addition to Thank You's that you send out to people who have brought Baby Shower or Hospital Arrival gifts. A sort of favor - that's worth waiting for!

Mirrors would be wonderful too - 2 1/4" pocket mirrors that any lady would love to keep in her purse for the "on the go" lipstick application!

Magnets or Mirrors available - same price for either, same size on the front. 2 1/4" round.

These are high quality parts, not like a lot of the other cheaper parts being sold around the 'net!

Any number available - price breaks are as follows:

12-96: $3.00 each
96-192: $2.50 each

You send me the photo you want featured, let me know the color background you are choosing, and the text you want written. There is a limit on how much text can fit, I will let you know if there are any problems. I will send you a graphic proof through email or Etsy convo for your approval before I have them printed and press them.


These are also great for Birthdays - I made them for my son's first birthday and handed them out as favors, they were a big hit!

Any questions? Feel free to ask me, comment here or use the contact form "Contact Abbie"

You can also order through Etsy or just fill out my Custom Birth Announcement Order Form

Thanks!
Abbie

For those of you who read my blog, and/or the Etsy Forums you may recall a freak out I had a while back. Well, I've been holding back on the story until I thought the time is right, and now it's right.
The former Etsy Seller Wonky Tonk Tiki Lounge sent me a conversation through Etsy asking if I'd like to trade, because she wanted a new banner. I agreed. When I do trades, my policy was to "buy" each others items at full price through Etsy. This way - Etsy gets it's fee's, and both myself and the other person had a little insurance - of being able to leave feedback. Well, things were going well at first. She didn't give me any real boundaries or firm ideas of what she wanted, she said something "retro" but not "cutsie" and in the tiki / beachy type theme. So, I made her 8 banners to choose from. She loved them all, but said she "really liked" a certain one. I did this all before she "bought" my item, or I "bought" hers. This way - if she didn't like my designs, we could part ways without anything getting ugly! So, she really liked it, I reserved a listing for her and asked her to "buy it" (though no money actually changes hands in a trade) at full price. At this point, things start getting slow, I didn't hear for her a couple of days. Then I hear from her, she asks if we can do another trade, because her sister was opening an Etsy shop. She wanted to trade something from her own shop, so she could give her sis a banner to get her going. I agreed. We both agreed I should wait to "buy" anything from her until the second banner was finished - for the same as the first, didn't want to get ugly, and now the trade amount was different. So, I made 5 banners for her sister. She said she really liked a certain one, and said to go pick out "$50- $100" worth of stuff from her store, and that would be fine for the trade. I was a bit wary of that, because my banners are only $16 each, making it $32 I would be credited. I asked a her a question about a certain item, it took her a week to respond, and then she didn't answer my question. She said she wanted to hurry and finish this transaction - I replied I did too, could she answer the question for me? She finally did. Conversations were moving a lot slower at this point, she made the excuse that her power had been shut off, so, fine, I understood that. Then she convo's me and says never mind, she doesn't want the second banner, she just wants the first. Ok - I was a little miffed, because I'd pretty much wasted my time on the other banner, but whatever, you change your mind - that's why I don't ask anyone to "buy" things until they are finished. (although I do ask for 50% up front on custom orders now, thanks to her)
Well, I pick out my earrings that I want - I convo her, make sure she's ok trading with them, a few days go by, I get the ok from her and I purchase them.

A few more days go by, with no word from her - I though, maybe she was waiting for me to send the banner, so I figure, I will - since the work is already done. I send the banner and avatar. Still no word. Weeks are passing now, I convo her about once a week - "what's the status on things? did you ship the earrings?" very polite, thinking maybe she lost power again.
When 2 months pass, I decide it's time to play hardball. I send her a convo, explaining things, that I'm tired of waiting for my earrings (which never showed up) and I'm tired of not getting any response or explanation. I told her if I didn't hear from her in 24 hours, I would leave negative feedback, and report both transactions to Etsy. I didn't hear from her - so, I did.

A few days later, maybe 3 or 4 days, I get a really nasty name calling convo from her, and she's threatening to leave me neg. feedback, etc.
I replied, as nicely as possible, but that's the last I hear from her. Both transactions were reversed and fee's reimbursed by Etsy Admins.

About a month later I checked out her shop to see if she'd updated or anything, since I had never heard any kind of reply. I see my feedback that I left for her was deleted! I was livid. I made a post in the forums about it which ended up getting locked. WonkyTonk replied to the forums - which I found funny, since she's been so hard to get ahold of otherwise. Her reply was bonkers, not a big surprise. Since then I've been working with Etsy admin. Luckily I had ALL the convo's saved. I saved them as pdf's and sent them to admin. It was really black and white. I believe that they were attempting to contact her, and reinstate the feedback, but, since she failed to reply to Admin - she was banned from the site. I feel quite vindicated now. I am not a viscous person, if she had done "kiss and makeup" or at least explained herself, I'm pretty easy going, I would have worked with her. Even in the negative feedbacks I left, I said "i really hate leaving you negatives - but I feel like I have no other options" but, she didn't want it that way, so. Done and Done. I'm really happy with Etsy Admins right now. I've always thought they took a soft hand in matters that needed a strong one, and vise versa, but they really owned up and took care of the situation here, and that makes me happy as a clam.

As far as the hall of shame goes - I'm a bit wary of the legal consequences it might have. I'm thinking of starting a forum on here though.

In other news, my *REAL* shop will be open soon! Can't wait for that, I've been working on it hard!

Abbie
http://abbieroad.etsy.com

I've had a regular myspace for a while now, I use it to keep up with friends/family and keep it all quite private. But, last night I signed up for a myspace for my art, and I'm pretty much adding anyone/everyone (except those porno webcam people)

so, my new myspace is: http://www.myspace.com/abbieroadarts


Add me if you'd like! I'll add you back

Thanks!
Abbie

I'm a total child of the 80's, I loved Pee Wee's Playhouse. I even had a Pee Wee Herman Doll, that, looking back, was rather frightening. It had a little string on the back that you could pull and it would say things like "HAHA HeHeHe" and "I know you are but what am I?" and "I don't make dogs, I walk them" and "Meka Leka Hi Meka Hiney Ho!"

Well, my newest pocket mirror is inspired by Pee Wee Herman. Anyone remember Jambi the Genie? He lived in a little closet type thing in Pee Wee's Playhouse and when someone would say "wish" he would pop the doors open and say "Wish?! Did somebody say WISH!?"

He'd end up granting the wish by having everyone repeat after him "Meka Leka Hi Meka Hiney Ho" and then he'd say " Wish is Granted, Long live Jambi" and disappear back into the closet.

So, I have a little Pee Wee Herman accessory commemorating Jambi the Genie - a 2 and a Quarter Inch Pocket mirror, great to throw in your purse to check your makeup, or to check your teeth after that poppy seed bagel, which, is a must hah.

Pic is clickable to the listing where you can buy it on Etsy, it will also be available in my online store right here on Original Abbie, which will hopefully launch soon, it's hard work getting that thing up! Jeeze!


Your Wish is Granted - Long Live Jambi!

Abbie

My favorite local stalker strikes again. I'm not sure if this falls in the "Hate Mail" category, or if it's just plain old Mail Fraud/Tampering. Here's how it goes. A piece of mail shows up for me at the wrong address. This person obviously hates me because of previous business doings. So, this person gets my mail, and instead of just writing on the envelope something like "wrong address - it goes to #_ _____ Street" which, she obviously knows my address (because she drives by and stalks me on the daily.) She opens my mail, which includes tax information. She crosses out my old address and puts in my home address, and crosses out "Dear" where it says "Dear Abigail" Wow - that's REALLY a good jab haha. I wonder if she picked that one up off the 8 year old she verbally assaulted?
It's downright comical. I just gotta laugh. I guess that's why I get to her so much, because I have no ill will towards her, I feel nothing. Why? Because I have everything I need in life and she has nothing. I have a loving and healthy child with my husband of almost 8 years. I have a great support system in my family, I have good friends, I'm happy. I'm not rich, by any means, that's about the one thing she might have on me, is downright wealth. But ya know what, he who dies with the most toys still dies. I am happy because I have a life full of love, and at the risk of sounding cliche, that's all I really need. I'm not living in a big huge house, I'm not driving expensive sports cars, I'm not getting my hair done, my nails done, or wearing $800 Versace Jackets, but you know what, I don't need any of that stuff. It may make you happy in the short run, but in the long run it doesn't mean anything. To have people around you that love you, are loyal to you, and that you can confide and trust in, and you can give all that in return - that's what matters.
I don't wish ill will, I don't hate her, I actually feel bad for her, her life must be just miserable to be focusing on me for so long. I hope one day she gets the help she needs and realizes what is important in life before it's too late, and she's driven everyone who's cared away. I used to care, about her and her family, I really did. You treat me kindly and with respect, and I will do the same to you - but, that didn't happen. I don't hold any grudges anymore, things happen for a reason and God doesn't give you anything you can't handle. I brought my beautiful son home from the hospital 2 years from the day that our business resolution had it's big *bang*. Tell me that's not God telling me I was meant to do something else!
Even though I don't hold grudges, it doesn't mean I don't laugh at this stuff. This "valuable" tax information shows up April 21st, when taxes are due April 15th, and the letter inside (that she tampered with) was dated the 9th. I'm not worried about it though our accountant will figure it out, he almost plans on it. I just find it comical that she crosses "dear" out and her return address off the envelope. Like I don't know who it's coming from, and even if I *was* that dense, I'd still be able to see through the knockoff sharpie marker she used to cross her name and address off. Though, she actually rips the "NJ" off the return part. Clever Clever Clever.

I blurred my address, to protect the innocent, but, so you can share in the hilarity - here's some pic's


Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't opening someone else's mail and tampering with it a Federal Crime? Can't you go to Federal Prison for that? Good thing I'm a nice person : )

-Abbie

I've had these custom wedding favors listed for a while now - they made a fabulous wedding favor, bridal party gift, bachelorette party gift, Bridal Shower favors - I could even take the veil out and make pretty cool Prom or Sweet 16 favors!

Anyway, up until recently, I only had 2 styles for Brides, and 2 styles for Grooms - but I've more than doubled your choices! I've added 3 new brides, and 4 new Grooms! I can now offer a curly haired version, which should have come to me earlier, since I myself have curly hair haha, but it took a custom order request for me to do it!

Anyway - these favors are 2.25" round mirrors. The cool thing about them, is you pick the colors, the writing - everything from skin, and hair color, tux color, bouquet and ribbons color - you pick which bride and groom will most match you and your fiance! (Or Groom/Groom Favors Bride/Bride Favors, that can all work too, whatever combo you want really!)

When you order them, fill out this customization form: http://blog.originalabbie.com/page5/page5.php
while referring to these charts: http://blog.originalabbie.com/page7/page7.html
Prices:
1-96: $3.00 each
96-192: $2.50 each
192+: $2.25 each
You can order them by filling out this form and including your paypal address, and I will invoice you through PayPal. Or you can buy them from my Etsy Store.


Thanks!
Abbie

The hall of shame - status
I'm trying to work things out privately with Etsy Admin, I'm going to see how that goes first before I bring out the heavy artillery and start naming names haha. Etsy Admin is being pretty helpful so far, they apologized for deleting the feedback, the seller that I'm dealing with lied to them, and I guess they didn't *read* the feedback before it was deleted, because it clearly stated the way things went. Also, I'd spoken with the same Etsy admin about reversing the transaction in the first place, but I'm sure they see so much everyday that they didn't remember. It would have been great if they 'd had what I'd sent to them on file to relate to when the seller contacted her, but, nothing is perfect. I'll keep updating when I get info. I just sent Admin a PDF of all 6 pages of convo I have with this seller, along with screen caps. We'll see how things go. Her options as a seller may be either A) pay for the item or B) get deleted/banned
I'm happy with either, honestly.

I am working on setting up an Etsy non paying buyers/non shipping sellers list though, possibly in the form of a forum, but I'm still not sure how I want to do all of this, but I am working on coding the forum (and making it pretty) as we speak

Abbie

Coming soon -

The Hall of Shame

Etsy is a wonderful website, there's no denying that. 99% of the people on there are absolute gems. BUT - there are a few people who are just disgusting individuals who really make Etsy look bad. Unfortunately, the feedback system on Etsy isn't exactly 100%, so, I'll be starting a Hall of Shame. I have my very own seller to headline the list. I'll also have a way for you, as a confirmed Etsy buyer to add your own in for consideration.

I'll be working on this tomorrow. What do you say, oh big wonderful world? Yay or Nay?

I hate to be negative, but, being that negative feedback is being erased, I guess somebody's gotta be at least a little negative, and warn others of shady sellers.

Thanks : )

Abbie

AbbieRoad.Etsy.com

Edit: Etsy is not planning on erasing the negative feedback feature, you will still be able to leave negative feedback - however, negative feedback that is left being erased by admin. There have been cases where people leave retaliatory feedback or unjust feedback, and Admin will erase it for you - but in this case, the feedback that i left was because this person did not send the item that was properly traded for. I spent hours making her a banner, actually at least 8 banners for her to choose from. She said she really liked it, and she picked out out, I sent it right to her. She then quit all communication with me, never sent out the item, never supplied any kind of tracking number or even a date that it was shipped. That was January 29th, and now it's April!

I had left her 2 negative feedback, and discussed the entire situation with admin, privately, as they request. Admin was great with me at the time. Every now and then, I check into her shop and see what she's up to, and see if she's done the same thing to anyone else yet. Well - I go and see my feedback that I left for her is GONE! Nobody can do that but Admins. We certainly didn't use the "kiss and makeup" feature, which, until now, I would have been open to.

Sorry if there was some confusion there!

Abbie

Picking out the treasure trove is a lot of fun, I love browsing Etsy, and the team of admin over at Etsy certainly has provided many ways for you to browse all the wonderful art!
My theme for the treasure trove today, is America! Red, white blue, classic American scenes - things that make you want to eat some apple pie. As the warmer weather approaches, so do the rich bold scenes of what I think of as classic America. Birds chirping, greenery budding everywhere, the smell of fresh cut grass drifting in the windows, the footsteps of your mailman, who still delivers mail door to door rather than driving around in a truck, the faint echo of children playing during recess from the school up the street, and, of course the hustle and bustle of Main Street (how cliche) a few yards in the other direction. These things scream America to me, they make me want to sit on my front porch and eat watermelon.
So - here's some great American stuff, to get you in the mood! All images link to the page where you can buy the item! Tell them I sent you!







Thanks for looking, support your local artists!

Abbie
AbbieRoad.Etsy.com

As you can see, I've gotten a bit bored with the featured seller bit, it was a lot of fun and I enjoy doing it, but I need a bit of a mix up, plus, there's so many talented artists on Etsy, it's hard to pick who to feature!
So, I've decided to feature some pieces, in a theme, at least weekly. This weeks theme - blue birds! Easter and Springtime are upon us now, the sun is warming these parts of the earth, the flowers are blooming, and the birds are chirping!
So - here's some really cool birds I've found on Etsy. All pics link to the listing, where you can buy it, all on www.Etsy.com






Hope these blue beauties put you in the mood for spring!

Take care -
Abbie

AbbieRoad.etsy.com

Who are you? Where are your roots?
My name is Kim Schueller. I live in Burnsville, Minnesota. Born and raised. I am 41 years old and have 2 kids; a daughter who is 15, Alexandra and a son who is 10, Jake.
I have been an "artist" for about 6 years and kind of fell into it. I couldn't be happier doing what I love.

What were you like in High School? I was small in high school. My friends were shapely with hips. I spent 3 years on teh danceline for our school and loved every minute of it. I was kind of quiet, didn't share much, enjoyed my friends. I didn't rebel a lot, a little, but not a lot, I hope my parents can say the same!

What would you consider your muse?
What is a muse? (from Abbie: A muse is your inspiration, or your creative influence - if you want to answer this question, leave it in the comments and I can add it in )

What is your favorite medium, and why?
My favorite medium is bisque. I love painting on bisque pottery because whatever your colors look like in the beginning, they are never the same after it is fired. I never get tired of opening my kiln and seeing what the design turns out like - especially if it is something I am trying for the first time. I also do a lot of firing for other people and still love to see the finished product.
However, I am finding that I am suddenly really liking all things felt.

Tell me about your artwork, what kind of style are you?
I think my style is funky, contemporary, bold, exciting and fun. I like it to be whimsical and eye-catching. I also like my designs to bring out a response in people that makes them turn their heads with the bright colors and bold designs.

Who do you think your top market is?
I think my top market is women who are looking for a unique, high quality gift that cannot be found in every other gift store. I think people like to give gifts that they know won't be found anywhere else.

Who is your most favorite and least favorite celebrity?
My favorite celebrity would have to be Reese Witherspoon - simply for the way she carries herself and doesn't seem to take herself too seriously. My least favorite - where do I begin: Donald Trump, Rosie O'Donnell, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Paris Hilton, Brittany Spears, Basically anyone who is gracing the cover of the tabloids. I abhor celebrity worship!

Do you listen to music while you create? If so, which, and who is your favorite?
I am a Christian, so if I listen to music while I paint, which I do, it is usually to Third Day, Jeremy Camp, Passion - all Christian bands.

Other than creating art - what is your favorite hobby?
Definitely, hanging out with my family! Also, working out, going to the lake, reading. I really love my work, so it also is somewhat of a hobby for me too.

What do you believe is essential for an etsy seller?
A good product with a good price point. The combination cannot be beat. I think an unusually unique product that appeals to a broad base is a plus - I wish I knew what that was!


Thanks so much Kim, I hope this interview brings many people to your store! Best of luck to you!

Thanks so much!

Abbie

AbbieRoad.etsy.com
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Much Ado About Medford
Quaint and quiet, a town with appeal
by Sally Friedman

Turn off of Route 70 onto Medford’s Main Street and suddenly, instead of cars whizzing by, there is the serenity of a quiet street in a town straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting.

The suburban sprawl known as Medford yields to handsome Victorian houses on either side of Main Street, then to shops, galleries and restaurants interspersed with small office and commercial buildings.

Not a mid-rise, let alone a high-rise, in sight.Clean sidewalks.People who smile as you pass.

Have you landed on another planet, or just in this historic town with Quaker roots that is home to 25,500 citizens with the privilege of living in a place that seems to be at peace with itself.

You can park on Main Street without much difficulty and visit Medford Village. But if you’re wise, you’ll stop to explore the acres of diamonds in this town that seems at once thoroughly in the present, but buffered by the past.

It’s a lovely blend.
The first landowners received their grants from the King of England in the 17th century and in 1670, William Penn and others sold off their land in what is now Medford Township.

Fast forward to 1767, when Medford became a somewhat established community with a village, a schoolhouse and a logging industry. By 1847, the area was set apart from Upper Evesham, its former identity and name, to officially become Medford. The name was chosen because prominent citizen Mark Reeve had visited Medford, Massachusetts, and liked what he saw.

The town developed a flourishing cranberry industry in the 1800s and in 1889, the Camden and Atlantic Railroad arrived, connecting Camden and Medford. While most of the early mills didn’t survive, Kirby’s Mill, now on the National Register of Historic Places, did until 1961.

The town’s most famous citizen was Dr. James Still, known as the Black Doctor of the Pines, who was an established and respected physician by 1847.

The years have been kind to Medford, which has prospered and grown to become one of Burlington County’s most desired towns, especially after the 1920s when families sought its proximity to Philadelphia and its rural charms.

Walk down Main Street today, and unless you’re made of strong stuff, you’ll be tempted by its inviting shops. You might start with the Guiding Light, where lighting is raised to a fine art.

This popular store has the kind of unique and detailed lighting fixtures that are seen outside and inside some of the area’s loveliest homes, many of them historical and traditional.

Just down the street, Creative Genius Art Gallery & Studio seems a metaphor for the town’s new mercantile spirit. An import from Manhattan, co-owner Julie Basello-Holt and her husband, Chris, an artist and teacher, have created a wonderland of crafts, art, hand-crafted furniture and paintings, all attractively displayed in a charming space that invites lingering.

"We really felt that Medford was ready for a place like this. It’s been very gratifying to present the wares of American artists, some of them well-established, some emerging," says Basello-Holt.

Creative Genius offers a full roster of classes, including jewelry-making, stained glass and pottery. There’s absolutely no pressure to buy, and browsing is clearly encouraged. The inventory has a definite sophistication, and seems geared to the increasingly refined tastes of Medford shoppers.

Adjoining the gallery is an antique shop, Mom and Seven Stars, which has equally tempting wares. Down the street a hop and skip is Virtua’s B Thrifty II, a thrift shop with treasures in every corner - and terrific bargains at that.

Medford also boasts a men’s hair styling salon called Executive’s Den, and a complex of shops that includes a knitting store and boutique. Scherzer Antiques is just down the street.

You won’t go hungry here as you shop ’til you drop, if that’s your style. The landmark restaurant in town is Braddock’s Tavern, which continually wins awards for its all-American cuisine and charming rustic/colonial décor. Braddock’s, too, has become a more sophisticated eatery over the years, with wine dinners and a tilt towards the gourmet as its new executive chef, Charles Galvano, brings a distinguished pedigree.

Trained at the New York Restaurant School in the 1990’s, he graduated first in his class, spent two years at Manhattan’s La Caravelle, and several more years at prestigious restaurants in North and Central New Jersey. So Braddock’s is definitely worth re-exploring these days.

Also check out Bain’s of Medford on your wanderings, and you’ll be rewarded with great deli sandwiches in a cozy setting complete with a wall of pickle and pepper jars. If you’re hankering for corned beef and cole slaw or a brisket sandwich or just a bagel, this is your spot in Medford Village. (We can personally recommend the pastrami on rye.)

A new face on Medford’s restaurant scene is that of a native son, Ted Iwachiw.

This alumnus of the Academy of Culinary Arts in Atlantic County who went on to several extremely prestigious restaurants, including Philadelphia’s Striped Bass, the Ritz-Carlton in Washington, DC and Loew’s Hotel in Philadelphia, decided to come back home. He found a vacant spot on Medford’s Main Street and soon Ted’s On Main was born - coincidentally, at the same time as his first child, a daughter.

Refurbished and decorated with warm gold walls, tables clothed in crisp white, and handsome, traditional light fixtures (thanks to his mom’s Medford store, The Guiding Light), Ted’s is elegant without being pretentious. That mood meets its owner’s requirement for a welcoming, not snobbish, place.

It’s no wonder that the housing market in Medford is booming. "We’ve seen a real jump in interest and sales," says Marie Kulschinsky, Office Manager at Century 21 Alliance in Medford.

"There’s not a lot of new construction in Medford because of acreage requirements and a lack of land," says Kulschinsky. But there are exceptions.

As Main Street becomes Stokes Road, there’s Village Pointe, a small Bob Meyer community of single homes with front porches and detached garages, which are clearly designed to maintain the village look and feel. The Meyer name is well-known in Medford, where the builder has established a reputation for fine homes in various parts of the township.

Existing upscale communities dot the township, including The Bluff, Headwater Village and Heddingham Estates. Demand is high, says Kulschinsky, for the move-up home, typically with four bedrooms, two-and-half baths and a price range of $500,000 to $600,000. Hot buttons include updated kitchens, stone countertops and two-story foyers.

Most historic homes in Medford are in the downtown village area, and some date from the 18th century. "It takes a special buyer to tackle these, but those who do tend to love them," adds Kulschinsky. "Younger people tend to seek three-bedroom starter homes in the $350,000 range."

So what is it like to live in Medford?

We asked Susan Miller, a longtime resident who also serves as managing editor of Medford’s historic newspaper, The Central Record, a weekly that dates back to 1896.

"Quite simply, I love Medford because it’s a beautiful place to live," says Miller, who raised two children there: Matthew, now 21, and Kaitlin, now 19. Both Miller children have chosen to go to college in a place quite different from Medford: New York City. They are studying music there, a choice their mom attributes to the music program at Shawnee High School.

But while they were at home, the Miller children had an idyllic life, living in one of Medford’s lake communities. "Until they got to be teens, we would spend every summer afternoon on the beach at our lake. We’d have community cookouts on summer evenings and, in winter, would ice skate on the lake then gather for hot chocolate."

Then there are the annual traditions which families like the Millers celebrate with gusto. The Arts and Music Festival, held in the summer, draws thousands of people. (This year the festival will be held on June 3.) The Dickens Festival, held in the winter, celebrates Charles Dickens’ legacy. Both events are held in the village.

"Medford is a town that’s sophisticated enough to offer a top-notch school system, a great shopping district and fantastic community services," says Miller. "It’s also rural enough that there are still horse farms, pristine woods and lakes, and even wonderful home-grown fruits and vegetables in the summer."

SJ Magazine Articles your South Jersey source Read More...

Today's featured seller is long overdue, I've been quite busy with custom orders as well as my son turning one! We've been keeping very busy so I had to stick the blog on the back burner for a little bit but I'm hoping to get back into daily or bi-daily updates!
Today's featured seller is KnittingGuru.Etsy.com



At KnittingGuru.etsy.com you can find all sorts of funky knitted hats, shawls, head bands - everything you need to outfit yourself and look awesome!

Check out the interview - click "read more"

Thanks!
Abbie
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My tenth featured seller, from Etsy.com is: Space Oddities!

Vintage Valentine's, Buttons, Magnets, Greeting Cards - Space Oddities has all this and more. The cool vintage look of her items is what makes Space Oddities so special. If you're looking to send out one of a kind vintage cards this Valentine's day, this is the shop for you - but hurry, because these one of a kind items don't come around much, and they are in high demand! While you're shopping, check out some of her funky clipped & dipped magnets and buttons - words and images clipped from old magazines and books, and brought together into a hip and funky magnet or button with fun phrases. Check out her shop, you won't be disappointed! And read the interview, click "read more" Read More...

Today's Featured Etsy Seller is: BlossomHill.Etsy.com

Ever since Hazel, from Blossom Hill contacted me through Etsy - I've been excited about featuring her work. She sews the most adorable plush animals I've seen in a long time. Tiny and sweet, these lovable little animals come to life in the palm of your hand. Tom - a Tiny Teddy Bear is sewn by hand, other hand sewn items include Lily, a tiny white rabbit and Jenny, a hand held, hand made squirrel. She also sews mobiles, for baby girls or boys - captivating little birds flutter around in a mix of fabrics, a unique mobile to finish up any baby nursery that's looking for something out of the ordinary.
Don't forget to check out Grace while you're in this shop, she's an adorable lambswool/angora blue striped owl, her friend the sleepy blue elephant shouldn't be forgotten either, he would be perfect for a baby shower gift, or any gift for a young little kidlet! Her prices are extremely fair, so if you have a lot of kids to buy for - this is the shop for you!

Read the interview - click "Read More" Read More...

Today's Featured EtsySeller is: MySistersGreatIdea.Etsy.com



Today marks 3 weeks til Valentine's day - so I thought I'd feature a shop with some lovely Valentine's day items! The proprietors of My Sisters Great Idea are - you guessed it - sisters! Jeanie and Chrissy manage this shop from a distance - one's in Chicago and one is in Denver, but distance makes the creativity grow stronger for these girls! If you're looking for a box for that special gift on Valentines day - what could be more romantic than a heart shaped press paper box - embellished with heart and locket charms, feathers and ribbon? Any gal would love to receive a gift in this box. They will even personalize it for you. A great keepsake box - maybe you're proposing and are looking for the perfect box to house the ring? This is it! I assure you!
Maybe you're one of the anti Valentine's people, and you plan on spending the that night curled up with your favorite book - well - don't be disheartened by all the romantic boxes, she has just the thing for you too - an awesome book thong (the latest way to mark your book pages, fyi) She's got a few to choose from - if you love your books. All decorated in different ways - hearts, flip flops, initials, charms, even a mixed drink one! These are great for any book lover!
Read the interview to learn more about these sisters! Read More...

My seventh featured seller from the wonderful www.Etsy.com is Hurbanski.Etsy.com



Today's featured seller is Hurbanski.Etsy.com she's from State College, PA - and she makes beautiful stained glass angels. Each angel is unique, and they would look great hanging from your window, wall, or anywhere you might need an angel! These "Everyday Angels" are each individually handmade so no two will be alike - and are even more gorgeous when the sun catches their beautiful glass wings and body. They come in a variety of colors - purple, green, blue - a nice Valentine's Day red - and ready to hang too! Everybody could use an angel!

Read more to get the full interview!
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I'm happy to bring you today's featured seller: CreativeSparkle.Etsy.com



Creative Sparkle is a young college student from California pursuing a degree in fine art. She paints fairy tale story books that are absolutely adorable - Little Red Riding Hood - Cinderella - The Little Mermaid - and she takes custom orders too for all you Alice in Wonderland Fans out there who will be sad to see that her Alice story boxes have already been sold! She also makes some really neat pieces of fused glass jewelry in an array of colors, shapes and sizes. Another perfect gift for your special someone on Valentines Day! For those of you fairy lovers, check out her Fairy Vial Necklaces - filled with fairy dust and decorated with varied and brilliant colored beads.
Find out more about CreativeSparkle, read the interview! Read More...

Today's Featured Etsy Seller is: RoseofSharonAcres.Etsy.com



Monica of Rose in Sharon Acres makes a variety of bath and beauty products. Natural soaps made with goats milk and olive oil, scented beautifully with essential oils. These soaps sound good enough to eat! She features different kinds of soaps and salves, some that will be a natural care for eczema some can help combat a troublesome complexion and some are even anti-aging creams! One thing they all are is fabulous. Hand made soap is a luxury we should all be privy to! These would make a wonderful Valentine's Day present for that special someone in your life, who wouldn't love to indulge in a silky creamy bath - she even put together a nice gift basket, all set and ready to be given with love.

Click read more to get Monica's full interview! Read More...

I'm happy to present you with my fourth featured artist from the wonderful www.Etsy.com

Paper Armadillo!



Paper Armadillo is a stylish store with some absolutely adorable goods! She's got a lot of pals over there - Tim, Ben, Jimmy, Jen - they are all supercute plushies, stuffies - or, stuffed animals- as they are otherwise known. Each little face has intricate attention to detail - so the perfectly adorable smiling face is staring back at you! These friendly little fellers can also be found on a keyring, or a scarf. These stuffed guys and gals each have their own story too - some are shy, some enjoy cola flavored popsicles - one is a musician! She plays the guitar and flute! They each have their own little biographies, it's really quite charming.
So check out PaperArmadillo.Etsy.com and see what she has to offer! Read the interview - click "Read More"
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Featured seller number 3! Nyclole.Etsy.com



Nycole is a paper artist, she gives anyone the ability to preserve their precious moment in time - in an adorable scrapbook from big to small. Even some you can take in your pocket book! These scrapbooks look smaller than the average book, but they pack a punch! Unfolding like a little accordion, each page brings a smile with intricate attention to detail and beautiful decorations. They are all set to go - just ad your photo's in and !voila! a hand crafted scrapbook of your very own! Nycole will even add your photo's in for you if you don't want to do it yourself, and then send you the 100% complete scrapbook - ready to show off! Portable in size, they're perfect for a little brag book - pics of your children, grandchildren, pets - you name it! Read More to see the whole interview! Read More...

Our second featured seller from the craft-astic website: www.Etsy.com - is EliAndRa.Etsy.com

Eli and Ra are an inventive married couple with lots of artistic flare. They are a pair of metal working artisans from the mysterious town of Salem, Massachusetts - the scene of the notorious Salem Witch Trials in 1692. Eli & Ra create a variety jewelry, ranging from the chic modish style of their yellow lami bird earrings to their stylish, gracefully simple Elliot - their Sterling Silver bird necklace. Their shop features a range of prices, so it's easy to find something smart and fashionable, that won't break your wallet. Their pieces are sophisticated, yet down to earth at the same time. You could easily dress up or dress down around these pieces - pair it them with your favorite jeans and sweater, or wear it out at night in your little black dress. These pieces can go the distance with your wardrobe.


Find out more about Eli and Ra - read the interview (click Read More) Read More...

I am pleased to announce my first featured seller from www.Etsy.com: EyePopArt she hails from Portland and she's spreading her psychiadelic style all around .....read the interview!

EyePopArt.Etsy.com



" I am actually quite "rooted" to this house because I have put countless hours into turning my home into a psychedelic wonderland with all kinds of intensely colored, intricate murals all over the walls and ceilings of every room, which also glow in the dark...it is hard to ever leave!"

Click "Read More" to get the full interview!! Read More...

For Christmas, my wonderful hubby Sean gave me a new laptop - an Apple MacBook. Anyone who knows me knows I'm an Apple freak - I went Mac back in 2001, and I never looked back. I still have my Powerbook G4, she's crankin up next to me. I sort of feel like I'm putting down Old Yeller by not using her anymore, so I use her a little bit, just for light browsing, back and forth stuff. But anyway - Hubby gifted me this wonderful MacBook and I decided to put it to work, and designed an all new RapidWeaver theme for my blog. I have a theme done for my Art site as well, but I'm thinking of a total redesign of the site format, so I'm holding that back a little bit. But it's a beauty - just like this one! I really like my new look, it's kind of inspiring me to blog more, so get reading, and get commenting haha!
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