Etsy and The Learning Curve....

What I learned on Etsy in three years...

I learned about light boxes... curses!
I learned about renewing... curses!
I learned about Treasury teams... curses!
I learned about Blogging...curses!
I learned about Twitter... curses!

Then I...
Opened a Twitter account
Opened a Facebook account
Started a Blog
Made a Light Box

Soooo....

I practiced taking product photography...
I practiced writing descriptive descriptions...
I looked for teams to join...
I wrote on my Blog...
I wrote on Twitter...
I wrote on Facebook...

Oooh, oooh, oooh.... I just thought of a few things I left out.

I learned about Kaboodle....curses!
I learned about Stumbleupon...curses!
I learned about Tumblr...curses!

Then I opened a...
Kaboodle account
Stumbleupon account
Tumblr account

So....

I shared on Kaboodle
I shared on Stumbleupon
I shared on Tumblr

*whew* know what? This social networking is exhausting! HA!

Written by:  Carly Vess

(copyright 2010)

Have an awesome day everyone!

ArtFire's Unbelievable Group Deal...

Over the past few weeks I have been moving items from my shop on Etsy to my studio on ArtFire. Little did I know at the time I made this decision that ArtFire was going to make an offer that is totally unbelievable.

Originally ArtFire offered the $5.95 monthly deal to 20,000 members. To our surprise, John (CEO) and Tony (COO) of ArtFire changed the criteria to "all" members who sign up by Oct 1, 2010 will definitely get the group deal. After that, memberships will be $9.95 a month, which isn't a bad deal, but doesn't $5.95 sound even better?

I am so excited to be in on this deal! They have also left Beta behind, WOOT! The front page of ArtFire has taken on a whole new look. It now features "Collections" created by ArtFire Artisans.

All the changes at ArtFire are just incredible and in perfect timing for the upcoming holiday season.

If you haven't checked out ArtFire for awhile, it is never too late.

So come on by and visit, love to see you there. *smile*

Push Pins and It's the Weekend...

It's Friday and quitting time at the office, check list of things to do:

Put work papers away (check)
Pens/Pencils into handcrafted holder (check)
Shut down the computer (check)

Hmmmm... what have I forgotten?  Oh yes, I remember now!  Put new handcrafted push pins on cork board with reminder for lunch on Monday... (check)

Soooooo, did you like my subtle way of introducing my newest endeavor?  *smile* These tiny fabric covered button push pins were a fun challenge.  I have baggies filled with little scraps of fabric that I don't like tossing because I knew I could find  something to do with them and alas I did! 

I could fill up a room with these push pins with all the scraps of fabric I have, but OK, OK, I won't, it could be dangerous, all those sharp, pointed ends.  With my luck I would sit on one!  HA!

Now, let the weekend begin!  Enjoy it everyone!

Easter Dinner and an Earthquake...

Easter in Arizona, home of the Grand Canyon, was quite interesting this year.

The family had gathered at my daughters home to celebrate Easter. 

While my daughter was getting all the goodies together for dinner, my 13 year old granddaughter and me were sitting at the dinner table chatting about all the yummy food we were about to eat.  Then suddenly she said she was shaking. What was my response? You must be hungry. HA!!!

Of course she laughed and then pointed to the swag light above the table, hmmmmm.... it was moving side to side. About this time my DIL stated she was shaking as well. We all laughed that everyone was getting hungry!

About a minute later it was announced on the radio that Baja, CA had just had an earthquake. This was when we all had an AHA! moment.

Of course it made for interesting conversation during dinner. But I will never forget what I said to my granddaughter who experienced her first earthquake tremor. :)

Have an awesome day everyone!
Carly

Happy April Fool's Day...

  (:  ¡ʎɐp ɹǝdns ɐ ƃuıʌɐɥ ǝɹɐ noʎ ǝdoɥ ı  ¡ʎɐp s,looɟ lıɹdɐ ʎddɐɥ

I have had too much fun in the Etsy forums today with April Fool's jokes popping up by the minute. Even Etsy got into it with their new banner!

Is that too funny... "Esty" not Etsy?  HA!  My favorite by Etsy was in 2008 when they featured WatchMan, a fake seller selling reproduction watches.  That was toooooo funny!

So, as you have all gotten to know me, I just I had to find out the where, why and what is April Fool's Day.  Here is the answer.  :)

"Said to be originated with the adoption of the new Gregorian calendar in place of the old Julian calendar in 1582, April Fool's Day or All Fool's Day, was once used to be celebrated as the New Year's Day. It evolved into its present form through several centuries and influenced by several cultures and has limited itself to be the fun and hilarity associated with Spring. Practical jokes and pranks are the order of the day."

Carry on with the prankster jokes and have a great day!

Carly

Yo-Yo Rosettes a Small Bit of History

Recently I have become addicted to making Yo-Yo Rosettes and now making them into barrettes, hair clips and ponytail holders. So of course I just had to know where they originated. It has been so much fun reading their history.

The word Yo-Yo comes from the Filipino word for “come-come” or “return”, and that it was very popular in the 1930-40s.  In the 1920s a man named Pedro Flores brought a Filipino Yo-Yo to the United States. A businessman named Donald Duncan bought the Filipino Yo-Yo Company around 1928. In 1932 Mr. Duncan received a trademark for the word Yo-Yo.

Yo-Yos were popular because women could carry the little circles of fabric with them and make Yo-Yos whenever they had a free moment. 

I vision ladies sitting around in their wonderful Victorian chairs with gas lights or lanterns, chatting about their simple lives and using their scraps of fabric to create these lovelies.

How many hours do you suppose they spent cutting small circles of fabric, then hand stitching them to create beautiful quilts with their rosettes?

Maybe one day I will take up the challenge and create a wonderful quilt that can be handed down.

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Carly

The Incredible Rescue Today of a Stranded Horse Named...

"Colorado"

Arizona has received quite a bit of rain in the last couple of weeks. A dry river bed in Buckeye, a suburb of Phoenix, was flooded because of the rain. The water current in the river bed was running fast!

Last Friday three horseback riders went into the river thinking it wasn't deep, they were looking for their dogs that had run off. Unfortunately the river bed was deeper than they thought.

One horse who had been injured while trying to escape the flooded river bed was put down because of the severity of his injuries. A second horse was pulled out of the river that evening. A third horse made it to a sand bar (it's sort of like an island) and has been stranded there since Friday. He spent four very long days on this island, until today.

A crew consisting of Equine Vets and helicopter pilots rescued the horse this morning. It was quite dramatic!

The picture below shows them preparing Colorado for liftoff. They have administered a tranquilizer to help keep him calm, the harness has been attached along with a blindfold over his head.


The following picture shows Colorado on liftoff, you can see the dirty brown water around the island...


Then incredibly he was in the AIR!


How awesome is this? Colorado had a soft, safe landing, YAY!

This story touched so many of us here in the Valley. Thanks to an anonymous donor who paid for the helicopter, Colorado is safe. :)

Wishing all of you a Wonderful day!

St. Patrick's Day and Food...

I wish I could bring you all into my kitchen right now, it is filled with the wonderful aroma of Corn Beef slow cooking in my Crock pot, lucky me I get to smell it ALL day long. YUM! :)

But since I can't bring the awesome aroma to you, I can do the next best thing, and that is to share a recipe with you.

Corn Beef Hash

Corn beef hash is one of my favorite meals to prepare and of course "eat". Prepare a great Sunday morning brunch and serve the hash with eggs, or create a wonderful quick, simple dinner served with a side of salad and garlic toast.

So for the recipe... (Compliments of Martha Stewart)

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 baking potatoes, (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
• 1 onion, chopped
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, chopped
• 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 8 ounces thinly sliced corned beef, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide strips
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large (12-inch) nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add potatoes; cook, turning often, until golden, 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Add onion; season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring often, until potatoes and onions are browned, 5 minutes.
3. Add bell pepper, horseradish, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook until peppers are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in corned beef and cream until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Serve immediately.
   

Soooooo.... take your left over Corn Beef this week and bring out the skillet and prepare this awesome dish.

Happy St. Paddy's Day everyone!

Arizona Skies...

Last night just before dusk we had a small storm move into the Valley, lucky for us. That's when we get to see some of the most beautiful skylines.

With the sun setting, the clouds catch the last rays of sun and become the most gorgeous colors of purple and blues.

Arizona has it's faults, but this isn't one of them. Views like this make up for 120 degree days we endure during the summer months.

The sky colors here are often breathtaking.

Carly