Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Fun things in the Mail......

I love getting little surprises in the mail. Well, usually they aren't surprises because I'm the one who bought them, but still, it feels like a surprise.

Here are a couple of my treats I've received. What was in the packages was wonderful, but the envelopes were equally a treat.
The first was a fun package from Turkey! Fun writing and labels. I love that.

The next is a package from Paris. I order all of my "jeweled" items from a shop in paris that does vintage jewelery refurbishing and they sell what is extra. I love getting the packages. So elegant and how fun, from Paris, France.


I am such a packrat and keep all of these fun and interesting envelopes. Like I don't have enough to keep up with.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

$5.00 Mondays

Etsy Texas Crafters is having a sale! It's a $5 sale.

I've decided to join in and offer two rings.
First is a textured sterling silver ring. It is great for stacking and combining with other rings or worn alone for just a touch of silver. It is just under 1mm wide and is so light~ It will be $5 for monday ONLY.


Second is a beaded sterling silver ring. It is a little thicker than the other one and has the ball texture to it. Also, $5 only for Monday.

You can get as many as you like, ask for a special listing, but they have to be bought by Midnight on Monday.
For other great items search "etc5" and see all the items on sale from Etsy Texas Crafters' Team.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

A Sweet Treat in the Mail

Today I received a surprise from one of my chat buddies, Vintage Confections. She sent me a candy sampler.

I went to check the mail and these lovelies were sitting on my porch (thank you mailman for not putting them in the sun!)

Well, I have a huge sweet tooth and could not wait to taste these~

I first pulled out a Vanilla marshmallow. These were huge! and so fluffy! I don't see these in her shop at the moment (probably sold out) but they were rich with vanilla flavor, so fluffy, not heavy or sticky and melt in your mouth YUM! She has some Dulce de leche marshmallows which look very delicious, too.

Next I tried a Cashew Nougat . This was so delicious~ Perfectly sweet with the salty crunch and chewy nougat that wasn't too chewy, just perfect.

My daughter grabbed something I believe was a French Sea Salt Caramel , because it had a little salty sweetness. She shared part and it was very delicious. Perfect caramel consistency. Softer than supermarket caramels and much deeper, richer caramel flavor.


I haven't tried the rest (pacing myself) but I am completely positive they will all be as delicious.
I really recommend this seller, VintageConfections.etsy.com if you are looking for superior homemade candies.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Dressing up for Independence Day!

It's never too early to start preparing for the Fourth of July, Independence Day! I've added these to my shop today.

These large bubble are one of a kind (I only have one set of these beads ad no time to get more). The graceful ear wires are sterling silver and made by me.

All components are sterling silver and you can find them, and more at www.MiaSophia.Etsy.Com.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

We're Infested With Mice! Help!

Not really! This is a little project I got sidetracked on yesterday.


These are cat toys. Although I don't have cats, I am a sucker for mice. I had seen the custest little mice made by Refabulous.etsy.com (the wonderful lady who makes the most fabulous laudry sachets: see here). I follow her blog because I am always facinated by those that can sew and make such nice things. Well, she posted a tutorial for these a few months ago and they had been on my mind.

I thought it would be a great project for my kids to do this summer and then maybe donate them to an animal shelter or something. But with them gone to camp this week and Etsy being so dead, I thought I'd just change gears to refresh myself and try to make them.
I pulled up the tutorial and got out my large bin of scrap material and embroidery thread. I even went and bought some catnip at the pet store.
The tutorial was easy to follow. And, after following the steps I only have one bit of advise...place the ears and nose close to the front. If you do it too far back they end up looking like rats~ (see the pink polkadot one I tried to hide in the photo! lol)
I did make one change and put an X on their eyes instead of the french knot she recommended. I thought it would be funny and I can't do a french knot! ha ha ha.
This will be a fun project for my kids, although I think I will enlarge the template a little. It will make sewing these little guys easier.
I hope you have fun and try something new if you need a little refreshing of your creative spirit.




Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Plumerias

I love these plants. The plant itself isn't that pretty, but, wow, when they bloom they are completely worth it~

I just wish I could blog the scent. It is so lovely~

~enjoy

Friday, June 12, 2009

More Yart!

Click on the picture and it'll take you to their item. Be sure to check out their other yart items as well.



From Countrybythebumpkins.etsy.com



From Hillsidebakery.etsy.com

From Teaman.etsy.com


there are other great yart items you can find here~

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Super Yart Finds!

These are some great finds in Etsy's Annual Yart Sale:

Click on the pictures to go to the item and see the amazing deals!

From delightdesign:

From txbutterfly74

From dirtygirlsoaps:

There are tons on Etsy, too! Go to etsy.com and search "yart". You can even search "yartfreeship" and find items with free shipping!

Happy Shopping!

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Yart Sale!

Etsy is having it's annual Yart Sale. Yard+Art Sale. Lots of shops have some really great sales. I've posted some of my items on sale and put a couple of my best sellers on a discount, for one only! You can check out my Yart Sale section here. All of my items have free shipping, too~



Monday, June 8, 2009

Yummy Recipie


Well, I'm a throw it in a bowl and mix it kinda gal so i'll share a fun recipie with you that takes no measuring, just tossing it together.

I took one cucumber, about 18 grape tomatos, feta cheese, olive oil and fresh basil.

Cube the cucumber, slice the tomatos in half, sprinkle with feta cheese (however much you like), slice the basil leaves thinly (roll up several leaves together and cut with kitchen scissors). Drizzle with olive oil and fresh pepper. The Feta cheese is pretty salty so you shouldn't need much additional salt, if any.

Stir together and then let sit covered in the refrigerator about one hour to let the flavors meld together.
It's a light, lovely summer salad.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Treasury How To Tips


A few weeks ago I decided to begin making treasuries on Etsy.com. Treasuries, for those who don't know, are "an ever-changing, member-curated shopping gallery of handpicked items. Members can feature their favorite items, items selected on a theme or just whatever they like. The Treasury is not intended for self-promotion, but instead to acknowledge and share the many cool things for sale on Etsy." (storqe article here) These are the wonderful collections you see on the main page of Etsy.com

Many people have the impression the treasuries are hard to get, hard to do, and for those elite few who have the time or the artistic inclination. Well, I am here to tell you that is not the case.

Lets take these issues one at a time.

First, the impression that treasuries are hard to get is incorrect. Treasuries come available two to three times a week in the main treasury as well as treasury west. There is a new tool available that can give you a "heads up" when they come available. It can be found at Craftopolis.com . While you do have to spend a little time calculating when they will be available, and maybe spend a few minutes waiting for the expiring treasuries to expire, your patience will be paid off.

The MAIN thing you MUST remember when waiting for a Treasury to open up is to NEVER, NEVER, NEVER refresh the page. The countdown is LIVE and while it may not look like it, the countdown is working. When Treasuries open up you will see a box at the bottom of the page allowing you to place your title.

That leads me to my next tip...BE READY. Have your title ready. Have an idea of what you want to say so that when it opens up, you can type it in and hit enter. If you delay typing while you try to think of something you might miss it.

There is also a very cool tool that is available on etsy called the Poster Sketch. This is a tool that lets you find items and place them in a test treasury to see how they look. This automatically saves in your favorites (very cool I don't know how this works) and the items you choose will stay there until you clear it. So when you "snag" a treasury, you can open the poster sketch in another window and just cut and paste. This makes it very easy and much less stressful.

Now for the ultimate goal of treasuries...To Make it to the Front Page! Woo Hoo!. Two of the last five treasuries I have made have made it to the front page. While I like to promote my friends, my teams, sometimes I like to get creative around a theme. There are themes you can choose that will make your treasury more likely to be placed on the fp.



Etsy has merchandising themes they focus on monthly which are current trends, holidays, etc. You can find articles in the storque and search for "merchandising". That will give you ideas of what Etsy is looking to feature on the front page.

Color themes are also a great way to organize a treasury. Take a look at magazines and other websites and look for popular color combinations. You can search for those color combinations in the search engine.


A third tip is to have a variety of items in the treasury. Make sure you have bags, soaps, clothing, jewelry, photos, artwork, paintings, toys, books, etc. Get a good combination of items.

You don't have to choose the most popular sellers, or those that have great numbers. Just get a good collection together, play with it.

These are all the tips I have for you. Take your time, be ready, and, if you miss the treasury window, just remember it's like the bus. Another will come around eventually. Most of all Have Fun with it!




Monday, June 1, 2009

New Ring

This is my second ring I have made. I am excited to be making bezel rings and offering them in my shop.

This is a vintage cabochon set in sterling silver. It is big and fun, yet still so feminine.


Need a Smile Today?


I had to post this picture I found on Etsy the other day. It just made me smile.

While the Vintage Christian Dior Pillbox Hat is completely amazing, I just had to laugh because of the staging Rachelle of Vintagestarrbeads.Etsy.com created to showcase this hat.

She tells me she painted her mannequin head about 1970 and actually painted her own face like that in those days!

She has a great shop full of vintage things from clothing to supplies, toys to housewares. Lots of fun, unusual and interesting things. Take a browse around her shop. I am sure you will find something that will make you smile.