Tag - Round Five

I'm quickly realizing that my blog networking is leading to serial attacks of being tagged "It". This round is similar to round 1 (Seven things about me) and round 3 (seven random facts about me PLUS seven strange things about me for a grand total of 14 things that nobody ever wanted to know about me all of which are all strange because I am far beyond normal), which I combined with Round 4, broke the chain, and just did a little feature on the two people that tagged me.

I began to wonder if I have such an interesting life that I even have six secrets. I decided I did, though not many juicy ones. I'm not sharing the dark ones because then I won't have any secrets, making me more boring than you initially thought. I'll just share the... lesser known.... aspects of my life.Still with me? So if I haven't already put you to sleep, here are six secrets about me.

Ok here it goes. Deb, aka Storybeader, tagged me. I have to tag 5 people. I'm going to tag the newest of the newbies on the Etsyblogger team, since I know quite a bit about the longer term members but not much about them. Initiation? Getting to know you? Whatever.

1. I am absolutely EVIL for about 1 -2 hours after waking up in the morning. Don't talk to me because I have nothing nice to say, however, your chances of surviving are directly proportional to the amount of coffee that you provide me.

2. I am jealous that Deb knows Stormy's real name. I am providing an Etsy Mini below of Stormy's work in hopes that I can bribe her into telling me her real name.

3. I'm not a hugger. If I hug you it will be awkward - it's nothing personal.

4. I TiVo programs on Discovery Health Channel and TLC. I also yell at the TV when shows and medical programs make ignorant and inaccurate statements and assumptions, particularly pertaining to the laboratory. For example, a doctor on General Hospital once asked another character to donate blood for a dying character because they too had the rare blood type AB and said that the patient could only get AB blood. False. They can get A, B, AB, or O blood. And the Red Cross tests donor blood for things like HIV prior to providing the supply to the hospitals. Obviously. I almost stopped watching. In sum, secret #4 is that I'm a big dork. Mmmmmm, actually, that's not really even a secret.

5. I have Dopa Responsive Dystonia. My fingers do stupid things, I like to think that beading makes them stronger.

Hearts of Wonder Earrings

6. As opposed to adult secret #1 when I was a kid, caffeine used to make me evil, thus I couldn't even eat a candy bar until I was about 12. There are stories of childhood me dressed up like Peter Pan jumping from couch to chair to other furniture after a grandmother had secretly given me a contraband Snickers bar for Halloween.

Sorry that Storybeader asked?

Anyway, now I tag:
Seaglasserie



ManderlyRose



Human Touch Designs



GirlWithaDesign



LeakyMouth



Welcome to the Etsybloggers Team!



Coffee picture borrowed from here.

Etsy Bloggers Team Carnival - September 29, 2008

Welcome to the September 29, 2008 edition of etsybloggers! I'm hosting this carnival. The two topics were "Autumn" and "In Summery." Thats not a typo, its a summary of the summer! Thanks to everyone for participating!

Ebony presents Spring is upon us posted at Off The Peg.

Melinda Beatty presents Autumn Longings posted at My Aphrodite Jewelry.

wearewedges presents Fall Time in Wedgeland: September EtsyBloggers Carnival! posted at WE ARE WEDGES.

Melissa Sinisgalli presents Get cozy for fall! posted at Made By Melissa.

miesmama presents What's not to love about Fall? posted at miesmama.

Margaret Chayka presents Flavors of Autumn posted at Crafty Chef Graphics Foodie & Craft Blog.

Flights of Whimzy presents In Summery - What I did on Summer Vacation posted at Flights of Whimzy.

Two Zany Zebras presents I picked this one just for you: A fun fall tradition posted at Two Zany Zebras.

Janet Reddick presents Autumn is Officially Here posted at Sky Girl Style.

Julia presents Back To School ~ The Spotted Sparrow posted at The Spotted Sparrow.

Donna Pool presents Summer/Fall projects posted at Donna Says....

Tanisha presents For the Love of Fall posted at Miapella.

lazytcrochet presents Notes from the trail posted at LazyTcrochet.

nikki presents Freshly Sharpened Pencils posted at stitch.tac.sew.

Kristin Saegaert presents Autumn Bookbinding posted at Life Stories Books.

curlymonkeyandco presents Autumn in Los Angeles... posted at curlymonkeyandco2.

Holly Westfall presents An Interesting Challenge.... posted at SilverRose Designs.

Sidhe Kalas presents Feeling Autumny Christmas Coming On posted at Sidheforest.

shellmitchell presents It's Autumn! posted at Shell Mitchell Accessories and Design.

storybeader presents Sept 29th Etsybloggers carnival: What I did on my summer vacation posted at Stroll Through Storyland.

Stormy Designs presents In Summery posted at Stormy Designs.

MoonMystic presents Fall Colors. . . posted at Smell This. . ..

HBIC presents Summer summary posted at Home Deconomics.

Kathy and Carrie presents September Blog Carnival..... posted at CalKat The Jewelry Junkie

Sassa Lynne presents In Summery posted at Sassa's Blog Carnival.

Erika presents Thanksgiving Tree posted at TOTE-N-TOTS.

Stacey presents Cool Crisp Air posted at Elle Belle.

Trina Baker presents September Blog Carnival Post « gallery32 posted at gallery32.

agoodwitchtoo presents "In Summery"... posted at The Copper Cauldron.
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Nora Demirjian presents "In Summery" posted at Nora's Blog.

Edi presents Fall is in the air! posted at Memories for Life Scrapbooks.

Waxela Sananda presents Elusive, Tingly Autumn Magic posted at SpiritMama Art and Soul.

PurrPrints presents In "Summery": Etsy Bloggers Blog Carnival posted at PurrPrints: Art, Cats, and Randomness.

Deanna Lack presents Autumn Magic (EtsyBloggers Carnival) posted at You've Got Maille.

Thyme2dream presents Autumn Flame Copper & Amethyst Set posted at Thyme2dream~ Fae Elven Fashionista.

A Keeper's Jackpot presents Balloons posted at A Keeper's Jackpot.

Beth Walker presents EtsyBloggers Street Team- Autumn blog carnival posted at Sewing Machine Gun.

Jen (bfbeads) of Baby Friendly Beads presents Autumn posted at Mama's Magic.

Madalene Jewels presents Autumn posted at Madalene Jewels's Blog.

Jimena presents Hello Autumn!!! posted at Panoptica.

Healingstones presents Autumn Equinox posted at Healingstones.

mamashai presents It's that time of year again! posted at Shais Creations

craftyjuicebroker presents Autumn? posted at Corner Lot Creations.

Heather presents Bloggers Carnival *Autumn* posted at Heather's Custom Sewing.

joeyandaleethea presents gator infested Autumn posted at J o e y & A l e e t h e a

Roya presents Etsy bloggers carnival Post posted at Royaboya's Beautiful Useable's.

Connie H. presents It Must Be Autumn posted at Dirty Footprints.

gabrielle presents First Day of School posted at Mintage Home.

curiousmess presents Blog Carnival...in summery posted at Curious Mess.

Patti presents T..........he pear tree posted at peacoxcreations

Jennifer DaFonte presents Autumn posted at J. Leigh Designz.

PalleikoDesigns presents Etsybloggers Blog Carnival: Fall Memories posted at H. Palleiko Designs.

Lily Wrey presents etsyBLOGGER Blog Carnival for September 29, 2008 posted at TuLips Talking.

Jaime Johnson presents Autumn posted at The Sewing Chronicles of JaimeSews.

TracyLacy Trinkets presents In Summery posted at TracyLacy Trinkets.

Mellissa - wondermommy presents EtsyBloggers Carnival for September posted at The Adventures of Wondermommy.

Irene Design presents Autumn is almost here posted at irene design.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of
etsybloggers
using our
carnival submission form.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on our

blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags:

etsybloggers, blog carnival.

Balloons

While summer is my favorite season, the fall is be a close second. I love the long warm sunny days of summer, going camping, and of course the drive-ins. Fall brings shorter, cooler days but a beautiful foliage in Upstate New York. It also brings thousands and thousands of people to my home town for the annual Adirondack Balloon Festival.


Thirty-five years ago, the first Balloon Fest was hosted at what was once known as the Warren County Airport. My grandmother lived close by, and woke up to the whooosh sound of the burners in the baskets. Not knowing what the noise was she looked out the window to see a hot air balloon above the yard picking leaves off the top of the tree.


I remember her taking me every year, right up until I was a sophomore in college. We'd get up at 4am and have a quick breakfast of muffins and cereal and rush off trying to beat the traffic to the airport. No matter how early we left, we would be backed up in traffic for miles. We'd talk about how smart the bike riders were, as they would get there well ahead of us, but we were much warmer in the car. She pulled me around the airport in a little red wagon for my first few years, buying me hot chocolate which was a special treat since I wasn't allowed caffeine at that age. Winter coats and mittens were necessary; even though it is held in mid September, the early morning is too brutally cold to walk around in.



It had been 8 years since I attended the event, so I found a group of friends including Sister to go bike riding to the evening balloon launch on Saturday. Though it was uphill both ways, we beat the traffic both in and out of what is now called the Floyd D Bennett Airport. It appeared as though the balloons were not going to launch, possibly due to the wind, but finally one crew inflated their balloon and many more were quick to follow. We returned to where we locked up our bikes to find that someone had cut our locks. Fortunately, our bikes and helmets were not taken. Lesson learned - you can't chain a bike to a fence at an airport apparently. Here is a video I created to summarize the event. Hope you like music from the Cold War era! This is the English version of Nena's "99 Red Balloons," with a video from the festival including the bike ride.

Check out my photo set on Flickr.

An Interesting Project

My mother-in-law recently introduced me to Brooke, another Etsy seller, who recently rolled with a very interesting idea. She opened a second shop, ThePearProject, on Etsy where she sells old materials for new inspirations. Anyone who purchases from this shop is invited to send her pictures and links of their creations made with her items, which she will then feature on her blog.

After breaking the ceiling fan pull in my kitchen, I decided that I would eventually make myself a new one. I saw ball chain necklaces for sale in ThePearProject, and contacted Brooke hoping I could buy more than the five that she had for sale. She got right back to me, creating a listing for 10! They arrived a few short days later and I got to work. Trying to think of popular colors and themes in kitchens, I decided to make one for a fruit themed kitchen. It wasn't until I was done making this polymer clay fruit ceiling fan pull that I realized that I found inspiration in not only the chain, but her shop name as well! The Pear Ceiling Fan Pull is made with green polymer clay mixed with eye shadow to make it look like a real piece of fruit. I then painted it with clay gloss so it would shine.


I made a second one out of aventurine beads. I'm sure there is a home with a green room and a ceiling fan, or at least a family in need of prosperity! Aventurine is a variety of quartz that is thought to have an all-purpose healing effect, such as calming the soul and reducing stress. Not only that, but it is thought to bring prosperity, creativity, inner peace, and even luck to gamblers! If you could use inner peace, luck, and creativity, then you might want the Aventurine Heart Ceiling Fan Pull.


It turns out that the balls on the ball chain necklace are slightly smaller than those of standard size ceiling fan pulls, so I attached a slightly larger endcap so that they will fit on standard ceiling fans. While I will probably use ball chains from the hardware store to make more pulls, I plan on using the rest of these necklaces to sport my handmade decoupage pendants, such as my Fall Foliage Colorburst Pendant.


Here is my feature on The Pear Project Blog. Now go and buy from her shop before she's sold out!

The leaves are changing colors...

...and your jewelry can too!

I got my inspiration for this piece from a leaf shaped piece of wood and a sheet of scrapbook paper. I thought the leaf would make a nice fall pendant and went in search of something to decorate it with. In the scrapbook paper aisle, I found a single sheet that had both a red-orange pattern and a beige and tan pattern. Instantly, the thought "REVERSIBLE PENDANT" came to mind.

I used decoupage technique to glue and laminate the paper on both sides. I drilled a hole through the top and wrapped around gold plated wire to create a bail. It is on a simple brown leather cord and fastened with gold plated ends and a clasp. I gave it the title Reversible Maple Leaf Pendant. Feeling red-hot and bold today? Wear it on the flashy side. Feeling mellow? Go beige and tan. Or switch it up in the middle of the day... The leaves are changing, why can't you?

100 Posts

It has occurred to me that I have 100 blog posts now! I went back to see my first post because I couldn't remember what it was. When I saw it I literally laughed out loud. I must have thought that by making my post title my Etsy Shop web address that it would be clickable right to my store, not to the post. Aaaaahhhh newbies.

Anyway, my first two posts were short and basically said, "This is what I did today BUY SOMETHING."

Since my first couple posts, I think I've come a long way. BeadingDaily.com discovered me from my post about my birds nest choker. I was excited to see how much exposure my blog and shop got that week.

I've learned a lot about blogging, such as adding widgets, stat counters, and especially editing HTML codes. After a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, I figured out how to make three columns (to hold more widgets), and made my little Favicon, which is the little tiny icon in the address bar to the left of my blog's address. You may have noticed that I make most of my links open up to a new window now. If you are wondering how, you just add target="_blank" in the HTML after your hyperlink. For example, when I linked the word "post" in the paragraph above, I got it to open in a new window by doing this:


I've participated in many blog carnivals, and even hosted a few. I've blogged not just about crafting and my jewelry, but also about hiking, cake decorating, and other things that I enjoy. By watching my Feedjit Live, I can see that people are still readinging my Etsy Tutorials.

Speaking of cake - my mother-in-law sent me an eCake:

☼ ☼ ☼ End of Summer Sale ☼ ☼ ☼

Until the fall equinox, I'm having an End of Summer Sale! Items in my shop tagged summer sale range from 5-20% off the original price (prices rounded off, as I don't like dealing with small change). Sale ends September 22, 2008. See my store for details.

Breaking the Chain

Remember back before email forwards, there were the dreaded chain letters? I personally did not receive too many, but I remember my mom would open one up and groan. "Send this to seven people, or else!" Snail mail chain letters... how retro.

I came across an article on Silcom.com, "Chain Letter Evolution," in which the author studies chain mail trends, and gives a little history. The author points out that prior to photocopiers, chain letters were typed or handwritten; can you imagine? (Of course, some of you probably can.) This led to misspellings, misprints, and variations of future chain letters.

In the era of internet and email, they are passed much more quickly with just a click of a button. Some electronic chain letters promise luck, wealth, or true love, but warn of eternal unhappiness for breaking the chain. I just take my chances and delete them all now, figuring if anybody is monitoring what lands in my private inbox and what I send to others, then I have more problems than I thought.

Since the birth of chain and spider email, an even newer internet chain has evolved - the blog meme. I've now been tagged "it" on two blog memes, twice. I feel guilty for breaking the meme chain, as my blog taggers thought enough of me to play. Instead just breaking the chain, I'm going to give my two recent taggers a little exposure, since they were kind enough to link to my blog in theirs!

On the topic of chain letters being somewhat retro, ironically so are my taggers!

TexasVintage tagged me passing on the Brillante Blog Award. Technically it was my first time being tagged with this title, but I had previously been tagged with the Primio Arte y Pico award, which is similar enough to make me not want to play again, plus I'm running out of friends to tag. TexasVintage is a fellow EtsyBloggers teammate, and has a beautiful blog, "Adventures in Vintage." There are a lot of cool vintage items in her Etsy shop, and as a child of the 80's I have a not-so-secret love of things from that decade - and nothing says 80s like a puff sleeves sweater dress! Check out her Vintage 80s St. John Knit Day Dress!


Another EtsyBlogging buddy, we'll call her HBIC for short, tagged me for a variation of a "seven things about me" meme, but this called for 14! Nobody wants to hear fourteen things about me, trust me. Want to guess what HBIC sells? Handmade retro kitchen items and other household things! I love the retro trapezoid mouse pad below. I found on her blog, "Home Deconomics," a link to another retro blog, "Trapped in the 80s Moms," which I now subscribe to.



Anyway, thanks TexasVintage and HBIC for thinking of me!

Vanderwhacker Mountain

On our tenth fire tower hike, we were blessed with good weather and good company. The hike was Vanderwhacker Mountain, elevation 3385 feet.

There are elements of both good and bad when hiking in a group. One down side is that everyone seems to walk at a group pace, meaning the slower ones struggle to keep up, the faster ones take it down a notch so that they are not rushing everyone else. My sister and I don't actually take breathers, but we do take a lot of "photo-ops." If we get to catch our breath and grab a sip of water while photographing a pretty flower, an interesting creature, or the current weather conditions, then so be it. Luckily, we did not find the need to rest take pictures too often.

An obvious benefit to hiking in groups is the unexpected help that you will need at times. Our winter hike up Hurricane Mountain not only gave us safety in numbers, but the availability of spare emergency equipment - such as a kind companion lending Sister their extra snowshoes after her "wardrobe malfunction." You never know when your snowshoe will break! Besides the assistance, we enjoy hiking with the Adirondack Mountain Club because you get to meet interesting people with common interests, and hear about their adventures and even some close-calls. It's definitely a learning experience, from identifying wild flowers to history of the area, and even some advice on what to do, and what not to do in the wild.

Our convoy consisted of three small sedans, as we followed each other from a local restaurant to the trail head. Luckily we were greeted by a few other hikers, equipped with high clearance four-wheel drive vehicles. God knows my Corolla may have made it down, but not back up the narrow bumpy dirt road, at least not without wrecking its guts. A pick-up truck and an SUV served as our shuttles from the main road to the trail head, saving us about 2.5 miles each way of extra walking.


The ridiculous amounts of rain we had throughout a good portion of the summer left us large mudpuddles on the trail; some spots gave false illusions of being shallow little patches but left me stuck nearly up to my ankles in brown gunk. We bushwhacked to get around some spots, but we eventually found ourselves not caring anymore, tramping through the puddles, daring the mud to stop us.

The hike was rated B because of the distance, but there weren't really any tricky steep spots. We conquered the 2.7 trail to the summit in about 2 hours and 15 minutes, resting only a few times. Most of the wildflowers are gone now, though we did see Indian pipes, which I had seen for the first time a few weeks prior in the Catskills, and those dark blueish purple berries that look like blueberries - but they aren't.

Feel free to leave a comment if you know what these are called

We stopped at the observer's cabin for water and pictures. The cabin is all boarded up, and on the door is posted a sad sign dated from the week before, asking hikers to look for a missing dog that ran away at the summit. Next to the cabin on the other side of the trail is a dilapidated building, perhaps it was a shed at one time. I think the pretty orange flowers surrounding the cabin are called "touch me nots."






The summit provided a break in the trees with a nice view north to the high peaks. However, the best views were from the cab of the tower where there was a 360^o panoramic view.

There is an amazing views of Algonquin Peak, Avalanche Pass, as well as Mounts Colden. Redfield, Marcy, Haystack, Allen, Gothics, Sawteeth, Nipple Top, Dix, and Macomb. If you click on the picture, your will be directed to the picture on my Flickr page, where I hope I have accurately identified each mountain.

Click me! Click me!

The Aermotor tower was built in 1918 and remains in good condition thanks to the efforts of the DEC, AmeriCorps, and the Friends of Vanderwhacker Fire Tower. This tower replaced the original wooden tower, which was build in 1911. Operation of the tower ended in 1988, and officially closed in 1989.



Visit my Flickr set for more pictures and information about Vanderwhacker Mountain


Information from:
http://www.telenet.net/~ranger/towers5.htm
and
Views from on High by John P. Freeman

My Halloween items have been added! Check out my spooky decoupage spider web necklace, fun polymer clay items, and my classic agate gemstone beaded necklace. Prices range from $3.00 to $41.00. Click on any of the items below to hurry up and get in the Halloween spirit! Boo!

A Keeper's Jackpot