Finally made ETSY's Front Page - YIPEE

Most Etsy sellers know how hard it is to actually get their items featured on the front page - aka the home page. The true benefit is exposure (of course) but making the front page is like a rite of passage. It sort of says "I've Arrived".

It took me two years to make it and I'm very thankful to
SimplyMaisy for putting my Marvelous Mauve Hoop Earrings in her Treasury.

Take a look at the beautiful items she chose on Christmas Day that made the front page on December 27, 2009.

Romance is in the Air

Romantic Flower Earrings, that is. I have fallen in love with these flower earrings. It took forever for the beads to arrive and when they finally did, I immediately started making earrings. To my surprise, the designs took over and pretty much created themselves. I hope you like them as much as I do.

Karma Ramblings

Karma - does it work because you believe in it? I've always wondered about that. And today reminded me to wonder some more. I did the slightest, smallest thing to someone, not even directly, they would never even know that I did it and bam, literally, something not so good happened to me. I hit someone's car in a parking lot of my job. No damage that I could see but I contacted the owner of the car for them to inspect just in case. Of course, I can attribute the bump to rushing, which I was but none the less, it still happened almost immediately after I did this teeny thing. And it's so strange how what I consider to be a minor indescretion immediately popped in my mind as if to say "back at ya". I'm in the car fussing at and laughing at myself. Is this how the universe works??? What's it take to really understand this stuff??? A degree in cause and effect. Did I cause this to happen to me??? What about the person who's car I hit??? What karmically did they do today to get their car hit??? The lesson that I got out of this is - don't even do the teeniest of something wrong - period. And yes, when I got home, I rectified my minor indescretion just to stay on Karma's good side.

My Review of Large Work Tote Bag in Collage

Originally submitted at CSN Stores

Features:

• Constructed of leather
• Top zip entry to large compartment
• Zippered wall pocket, cell and multi-purpose pocket

Rear zip pocket

Front has two slit pockets

One small flap pocket and one wide flap pocket ...

Large Work Tote Bag in Collage

I love this Bag

By Pam from Philadelphia on 9/19/2009

 

5out of 5

Pros: Easy Access, Enough Compartments, Attractive, Great Color, High Quality, Good Organization

Best Uses: Office, Traveling, Shopping, Everyday

Describe Yourself: Modern, Stylish

I use this bag as a tote to and from work. It is certainly large and roomy enough to use as an overnight or carry on bag. It is beautiful. The quality is outstanding.

(legalese)

Friends are a Blessing!!!

This week has been all about realizing what a blessing friends are. Thanks to all of the friends that have come into my life. I love you and you are very precious to me.

I received this as an email today and couldn't resist posting:

When I was little,
I used to believe in the concept of one best friend,
And then I started to become a woman.
And then I found out that if you allow your heart to open up,
God would show you the best in many friends.

One friend is needed when you're going through things with your man.
Another friend is needed when you're going through things with your mom.
Another will sit beside you in the bleachers as you delight in your
children and their activities.
Another when you want to shop, share, heal, hurt, joke, or just be.
One friend will say, 'Let's cry together,'
Another, 'Let's fight together,'
Another, 'Let's walk away together.'

One friend will meet your spiritual needs,
Another your shoe shopping frenzies,
Another your love for movies,
Another will be with you in your season of confusion,
Another will be your clarifier,
Another the wind beneath your wings.

But whatever their assignment in your life,
On whatever the occasion,
On whatever the day,
Or wherever you need them to meet you with their gym shoes on and hair
pulled back,
Or to hold you back from making a complete fool of yourself.

It may all be wrapped up in one woman, But for many, it's wrapped up in
several..
One from 7th grade,
One from high school,
Several from the college years,
A couple from old jobs,
On some days your mother,
On some days your neighbor,
On others, your sisters,
And on some days, your daughters.

These all are your best friends . . . . .

Not 50 but 60 Pairs of Earrings!!!

50 pairs of earrings quickly turned into 60 pairs for the Philadelphia Police Department's Administrative Professional's luncheon. It sounds like alot of work but it wasn't really that hard. I made 20 pairs for three nights and it took a couple of hours to prepare the cards and put the earrings on them. They looked absolutely beautiful on the tables and everyone loved this extra special surprise.

50 Pairs of Earrings

I'm making 50 pairs of earrings for a luncheon on Friday. The earrings will be favors and I plan to put them on easel cards to also be used as the place settings. Today I made 20 pairs and they came out beautifully. They're made from faux pearls with plated findings. Here are a few pairs. I'll show them on the easel card in a post later this week.



They look great but right now, the challenge is to keep the earrings from getting mixed up before I get them on the cards. I hope to finish all the earrings on Tuesday.

My CRAFTCULT Heartomatic Ad

I had read an awful lot of posts about the new CraftCult Heartomatic site where you could check at-a-glance the number of new hearts on your Etsy site and also who hearted you. I admit, before I learned about the site, I rarely ever checked my hearts.
Well, now I find myself checking my hearts once if not twice a day and the more I read about CraftCult on the etsy forums, I decided to purchase a the four day carousel ad. The price is reasonable for the amount of exposure received. What I like most about the carousel ad is that you get to advertise four items, a different item each day. The views on the items that I listed soared and I received 14 hearts while the ad was running. According to my GoogleAnalytic stats, the Heartomatic ad directed 98 visits to my site. I sold one item during the 4-5 day period. I was a little disappointed because my goal was to sell at least an item a day.
Overall I am very happy with the ad and I plan to place another ad in the next week or so with hopefully better results. The CraftCult staff are exceptional and very helpful. It was a real pleasure doing business with them. I highly recommend running an ad on Craftcult Heartomatic.

FREE SHIPPING ON ALL ITEMS IN MY SHOP !!!

In honor of Mother's Day, FREE SHIPPING on all items in my Etsy Shop now through May 10, 2009. Please stop by to see some of the new items just added.

Naughty Old Virus

I can hardly believe it. But I guess I really I should. As much as I love my PC and I do just like it was a human or a pet or something, I only have a free virus protection program. For the past couple years it has worked just fine, scanning and updating and keeping everything in check. With all of the new buzz about the confiker virus or whatever it's called, it's been in the back of my mind to get a real virus protector. Well, I didn't and today my beloved PC got sick!!! My son constantly learns about new websites from his buddies in computer lab and I think my PC may have picked it up from one of those sites. It was a constant pop-up that said Windows Internet Security. The icon even appeared in my system's tray. I don't know how they do it but I doubt very seriously if they are even remotely affiliated with Windows. I was totally freaked because it popped-up every minute or so saying that my PC was infected and to buy their anti virus program to fix it. They must think I'm loopy.
I tried all that I knew which was very little and finally after way too much frustration, I called the resident family PC doctor, my daughter Janelle. She immediately knew what I was talking about because the same virus had appeared on my grand-daughter's PC a few months ago. Hmmm, I wonder if my grand-daughter and son have visited the same sites. Janelle walked me through the process of backdating my PC before the virus struck and directed me to buy a new a anti virus program which I will do tomorrow (I think). I am so thankful to her. Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to write this post without throwing my beloved PC out of the window.

Just Showing Off

I'm just showing off this beautiful Cottage Chic Christmas Ornament that sold on my PamAngelCreations.etsy.com site this week. I can hardly believe it sold in March. Christmas is my favorite time of year and its nice to know that someone else is thinking Christmas too.








I always manage to keep a few ornaments out. Some I just missed when taking down the decorations and some I want to enjoy all year 'round. One of my favorite decorations is a gorgeous, large Angel that stands about two feet. I always waited to put her up last, right after the Nativity scene. I remember a few years ago, as I was putting her back in the box, I swear I heard her say, please don't put me in that box so she's been out hanging with me ever since. I just love her so much. She's the Angel of my home.

Happy DayLight Saving Day!!!

Yes!!! I absolutely love day light saving time. Spring is just around the corner. Of course it means more time outside and less time indoors for crafting. I'll just have to make my beading projects travel friendly. What a beautiful weekend we just had. The ten inch snowstorm of Monday is long gone and 70 degrees is in the air. Who could possibly complain.

Read about the history of Daylight Saving Time at the US Naval Oceanography site.

Beautiful Kisslock Purses

Congratulations to my friend Pawilli, a fellow etsy seller, for her recent sale of these two beautiful kisslock frame purses. She made these gorgeous purses with ultrasuede fabric. I especially like the light green purse with the nail heads. She applies each nail head by hand. They are lined up perfectly. It is easy to see why one customer scooped up these two beautiful purses. They are very hard to resist.



You can view more of Pawilli's beautiful purses at Pawilli.etsy.com.

Romantic Earrings for Valentine's Day

I've been trying different techniques to liven up my earring repertoire. I finished these starburst earrings last night and I just love them. They look so romantic. I immediately thought of Valentine's Day.

I will be listing them on my Etsy site today at a special Valentine's sale price. I really like how they turned out. I love the soft, pastel hues in the seed beads and the crystals really add a hint of glamour.


Each earring has thirteen rose colored 4mm and 1 6mm Swarovski crystals. The findings include a silver plater base with sterling earwires.

I think these are very beautiful and plan to make more in this style.

I'm really a happy beader today!!!

BeadFest Wire is Coming !!!

I buy beads any and everywhere I find them but my favorite place to buy is BEADFEST!!! BeadFest Wire is coming to my area May 1st for three days. This time I plan to go at least two days. The first day, alone, the second day I am planning to go with beadie friends. Hopefully we will stay for the Moonlight Bead In after the show. At the bead in, you can bring a project to work on and get a chance to mingle with other fellow beaders, the Interweave Editors and BeadFest staff.

The first time I went to BeadFest, I was overwhelmed. There were so many vendors, so many beads and so many customers. I spent too much on impulsive purchases and did not really realize how much money I wasted until I got home. The silver beads I used in these earrings were $15.00 a tube. They are sterling silver lined. I cannot believe I paid that much for the beads. They look exactly the same as metallic silver beads that cost half as much. That is why I have decided to do my homework before going this year.

This time I am planning for BeadFest early on. First, I will write down all of the colors of wire and beads I need and the ones that I have so as not to buy what I do not need. I will also note the sizes of beads and wire.

Second, I will calculate my budget as follows:

Decide on the amount to spend with specific vendors. These are vendors I have purchased from before and I love their items or need additional beads to complete a specific item. These include my favorites for seed beads and wire. Make a list of these vendors and as soon as I get the show floor plan, then highlight their location.

Allocate an amount for miscellaneous supplies, i.e. findings, threads, needles and any hard to find items. Try to keep this amount in the $20.00 range.

Next, allocate the amount for new items. Look for items that are trendy but stand out.

Last, allow a little extra for items I cannot pass up.

I prefer to go the very first day of the show. It is not as crowded as on the weekend and I can take my time. I plan to do a preliminary walk through of the entire show. Take a pen and pad and write down the vendors and items I want to buy. Keep a running total of purchases to stay within budget.


On the second walk through, make purchases.

Hopefully, there will be a little left in the budget to spend when I go back on the second day with my beadie buddies.

Either way, I'll have lots more beads to make lots more jewelry!!!

Happy Sunday !!!

I love a quiet, relaxing Sunday. I am having a very quiet day. Back to work tomorrow after a week off, a nice stay at home vacation. I had lots of plans to do lots of things but got very few accomplished, still happy with those that I did finish.



Seamless peyote cuff beaded with elastic cord and 8.0 beads.

I made this cuff for myself. It took forever to complete. It fits slightly snug and I can't wait to show it off in the warmer weather.








Golden Pagoda Earrings

Beautiful earrings made with golden African Opals and 11.0 seed beads.

In between beading and relaxing, I've been Twittering and reading blogs. I see that I have been tagged by Beautifully Chaotic.

I am supposed to list 8 random things about myself and then tag 8 other bloggers. 8 Random things about me:

1. I have been sewing, knitting, crocheting or crafting since I was 3.
2. Potato Chips are my biggest weakness.
3. I will soon be buying a new car - can't wait.
4. I have a 30 year old daughter and a 7 year old son.
5. I am a streamlink member of Coast to Coast AM.
6. My sewing room is a mess.
7. I have too much fabric and too many craft supplies.
8. I don't know how I survived before the internet!!!

OK - now I have to tag other bloggers.

1. Painting Pam and Paper, too
2. DeeJayPhotography
3. Jessica C.
4. Cat Productions
5. The Josie Girl
6. Gifted Designs
7. Thyme2Dream
8. My Hiding Place in Cyberspace

I LOVE LOST !!!

The wait is over. LOST returns tonight. I am a HUGE fan - a true fanatic. LOST first premiered on September 22nd, 2004 (my birthday). My former husband and I were shopping for furniture for our son's room and we did not make it home by 8:00 to see the begining of the show. I remember listening to the plane crash scenes in the car. I was immediately hooked and I was not even actually watching the show. After the first episode, I would tell people about it and they would say something like, "Oh, thats just another 'Survival'" No way. LOST is the most thought provoking show on TV ever.



I cannot wait for season 5 to begin. Can't wait to see Jack, Locke, Sawyer, Kate, Sayid, Dezmond and Richard (the oh so handsome Richard). There are a plethora of theories but the most probable is that they are stuck in a time loop. As much as I do not want the series to end, I want to know what the secret of the "island" is. I want to know what the "black smoke monster" is. I want to know why Richard never ages. I want to know what the four toed foot is and who put it there. I think he and his people are from the Black Rock and have been on the island over 200 years. That's my theory.





It's not too late to get in and catch up. ABC has the seasons 1 - 4 online.



Incidently, I just realized why Richard is my favorite character. He looks like the young Rod Serling of the Twilight Zone. See my blog post January 1st, 2009.

It's almost time for me to get LOST!!!

!!! CONGRATULATIONS PRESIDENT OBAMA !!!

On November 4th, 2008, America took a quantum leap on the journey to racial equality. Today we celebrate the inaugural of the first African-American President. The consciousness of our country has shifted. We must now surround our new president with hope, prayer, love and support as he embarks on this very difficult task of leading our country out of war, financial conflict, the disparity in our healthcare system, the rescue of Social Security, the threat of global warming and the ever looming energy problems.

Stay informed and up-to-date with President Obama's progress at:

WhiteHouse.gov
Change.org


!!! CONGRATULATIONS TO THE MILLIONS OF AMERICANS WHO CAST THEIR VOTE ON NOVEMBER 4TH, 2008 FOR BARACK OBAMA, THE NEW PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA !!!



!!! CONGRATULATIONS TO AMERICA's FIRST FAMILY !!!





















!!! CONGRATULATIONS TO VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN and FAMILY !!!

A Great Day for Beading

Cold, snowy days are the perfect days for beading. It's been snowing off and on all day. Although its just a dusting, its absolutely beautiful outside. I was inspired to make something new. I've been beading all day and just completed these earrings I call "Hoop Dreams". These beauties are made with brickstitch.















I also finished a bracelet I began before Christmas. I used blue and red 8.0 beads in a swirl stitch with a magnetic clasp closure. I think it came out very nice for my first attempt with the swirl stitch.



Hooray for me!!!! I'm on vacation all this week. A well deserved vacation I might add and I hope to work on lots of projects. Stop back to see what new items I showcase later this week.

More Craft Books

I have so many craft addictions, beads (No. 1), yarn, fabric, (fabric is really No.1) clay (and I never seem to do anything with this clay), candle supplies, you name it. I've got a ton of magazines, I literally mean that, a ton. Now I've progressed to buying craft books. I used to buy a craft book here or there. I even was a subscriber to Crafter's Choice years ago but my new addiction is Amazon.com. They have a plethora of craft books. I can hardly believe how many I've purchased in in 2008. Below are a couple of the newest additions to my stash.

2012 - Galactical Alignment - Armageddon???

December 21st, 2012. I first learned of this date from The Bible Code II in 2003. The Bible Code predicts earth's annihilation by a comet. I was so intrigued by this code that I searched the date online and I will never forget the moment that the Mayan Long Count Calender date of December 21st, 2012 end of the world as we know it was at the top of the search engine. I clicked the link and received an express education on the Mayans, the dark rift, the galactic alignment and how the Mayans learned the charting of the stars and calculating time far more accurately than our time is kept today.

As we get closer to this date, I notice that there are more and more television programs focused on 2012. It is Armageddon week on the History Channel. As I update my blog, I am watching Nostradamus: 2012. It is very interesting but at times, I find the predictions of Nostradamus far reaching.

As we get closer to this date, I think the hype will grow and soon we will see 2012 survivor conferences, dvds and kits springing up everywhere. I remember so well all of the preparation for Y2K. I hope it will be exactly the same, a non event - just another day.

After all, in my heart I know that no one knows the day or the hour, except the Father.

!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!

Happy New Year to everyone!!! I feel so happy about the arrival of 2009. Saying good-bye to 2008 was very easy for me. New beginnings and all that stuff are just what I need. We are about to have a new president that hopefully will undo this economic mess, pull our troops out of Iraq and eventually out of Afghanistan and not allow the US to be pulled into the war with Israel and Hamas.

I spent my New Years doing what has become a tradition for me, watching the Twilight Zone on the Sci-Fi Channel. I never get enough of this show. I saw three episodes that I had never seen before; that was a real treat. This surely tells my age, but I grew up on the Twilight Zone and it certainly helped to shape my interests. I admit to being in love with Rod Serling, even though I was a wee little girl, I just loved his style. He was the epitome of cool. I'm looking for the Twilight Zone theme song to download as a ringtone for my cell phone. My son says the music creeps him out.

This year I decided not to make any resolutions. I've made them all before and they seem to happen in their own time, not necessarily in the year proposed. This year I decided to set goals instead. Specific yet attainable goals. Things I need to accomplish this year rather than changing things about myself. I finally love myself the way I am, not perfect but lovable.

A special thank you and Happy New Year to my blog followers. I will be announcing a new contest very soon.