2nd Annual Christmas in July Sale @ Etsy!

Yup it's that time again! The 2nd annual Christmas in July Sale is underway at Etsy! The sale will run July 8th thru July 22nd. Come join me and JD (the cute little guy pictured above), and get some of your holiday shopping done early this year with some great sales.

I will be offering Free Shipping worldwide throughout the sale at my store - buy as much as you like, it all ships free! Plus I currently have a special "sale/clearance" section for extra savings! Come check it out!

Etsy, iCraft, 1000 Markets venues new and old....

Well I finally canceled my account at iCraft. Just wasn't the right venue for me, which I realized after my first year on there came and went with no sales despite some good advertising, being on the front page there, etc. But it's a nice little place to find handmade goods and I wish the site well.

Etsy is still my main place to hang out, though sales have slowed, probably due to the economy. Art is one of the first things to go when you're broke - totally understand! I can't buy as much as I'd like either, though I've made a few small splurges :)

Trust me, even if you can't afford that $40 raku bowl you've been eyeing or that $25 print of the cows, you can still enjoy little works of art! Try a cool mug or a colorful ACEO (art card editions and originals - ie they're small little works of art the size of a baseball card) - or hey, even a sparkly piece of jewelry ;) It'll not only make your day a little brighter knowing you got a little something for yourself, but know that you've helped support an artist and made their day brighter too!

While I did close out one venue and am continuing with another, I did decide to check out a new handmade venue called 1000Markets. It's a nice setup, a very clean and modern looking site. For those who don't know, its still in 'preview mode' simply meaning its not officially launched yet as they're still working on a few things and planning for a advertising blitz I believe. But it is up and running for those who want to open a shop, and folks can go ahead and buy there. The only thing so far that I don't like is that no international sellers/buyers can really utilize it - yet. 1000Markets uses Amazon Payments instead of Paypal, and believe it or not Amazon does not have their payment system set up to accept international accounts at this time. However this is in the works, and I suspect it will make many an international seller and buyer happy when they can join in the fun :)

So in the meantime feel free to visit my "old" shop on Etsy http://bijoutery.etsy.com
Or my "new" one on 1000Markets http://bijoutery.1000markets.com
(keep in mind I'm still uploading items to 1000Markets so its kind sad looking, lol, but feel free to buy there and make it happier!)

Mad Scientists Exposed!

Well, sort of, lol! The team is currently being featured in one of VickiDianeDesigns' "Artists of Etsy Exposed" treasuries - check it out at http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=41570 Currently the treasury is at the top of the 'hot' list with over 1000 clicks and almost 300 views! Pretty cool!

Seeing as treasuries expire (this one will early Thursday) here's a pic of some of the fab team members - And yes that's me hiding behind the fossilized coral :)

Guess I can't really blame the groundhog...

...for more winter huh? Punxsutawney Phil (the rather famous weather predicting groundhog) has decided we're in for six more weeks of winter here in the US. And irony of ironies, we had snow today! I guess if its gotta be cold, we might as well have snow!

And for Groundhog Day, I created this fun treasury on Etsy showcasing some rather cute groundhogs, beautiful wintery items, and happy spring items!

You gotta admit, that Punxsutawney Phil is rather cute huh? Guess we'll forgive him for bringing us the "bad news". lol What can I say, I'm just not a winter person. Come to think of it, not really a summer one either! Now fall is a season I can get behind :)

See, pets really are smart!

And are even helpful with things like science lessons...





Unless they're the evil mad scientist type of course, hee hee hee



For more info about today's science lessons brought to you by the letter "C"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lens_(optics)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schrodinger_cat

CPSIA - get informed, get involved

The CPSIA stands for Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, a new set of laws that will come into effect on 10 February, 2009 and will impact many, many people in a negative way. This law was initiated in reaction to the recent scares of lead poisoning in children's toys. While we all agree that eliminating harmful toxins such as lead is a good thing, the way the US government is going about it is not. It goes to extremes and does not incorporate common sense.

Why should you be concerned?
This law affects anyone that buys items, or makes items, for children under 12. Parents will see rising costs in not only toys, but school supplies, clothing, books - ANYTHING used by a child under 12 must be tested. Since these tests are very costly, the prices of these items will rise, which in our poor economy is not a good thing.

Businesses will suffer, particularly the small business owners such as those on Etsy (handmade goods are not exempt from this law either). For makers of limited or one of a kind items, this law may very well force them out of business, since these tests are often destructive (hence you'd need to make more than one of every item you want to sell, one for testing and another to actually sell). Even non-destructive testing is nearly prohibitively expensive for all but large manufacturers.

If you would like to get involved, please contact your senators and representatives and let them know that this law needs to be modified. While nearly unaminously approved when initially voted on, many apparently didn't even realize what this law would mean. To look up representatives you can check http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/cpsia.html and to find senators check http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

More info about the CPSIA can be found at http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/cpsia.html

A Gemology Quiz and Smelly Fish

Just two of my latest treasuries on Etsy!

The Gemology Quiz is one of my favorite to date and I hope to do some more. (Hopefully next time I'll take a screenshot w/o Etsy's little rainbow graphic, lol) There are some really fabulous gemstones available on Etsy - either as supplies or jewelry! Do you recognize these stones? (No cheating!)



And a fun treasury of beautiful blues and gorgeous greens all featuring our little fishy friends :)