A Treasure Trove of Pink Grapefruit

One of the fun features of etsy is the treasury, where you can look at collections of 12 items that people put together. Sometimes they choose groupmates' items, or base it around a color, or an object. Those are the collections that are rotated for feature on the front page. So pretty and fun to look at, and I know they help sellers get views and sales as well.

Anyone can make a treasury, but my computer at home is somehow incompatible witht he process; I've tried 2 previous times and get frozen up/locked out in the process.

I'm up in Virginia Beach for the holidays and was lucky enough to score my own treasury AND have a computer that I could assemble it on! So, without further ado, here is my treasury based on one of my favorite scents.

Have you hear the one about the CPSIA?

So apparently there is some new legislation on the books that would drastically effect not only my business but literally hundereds of thousands of other small artisan businesses nationwide.

Imagine if every item that a local crafter makes for a child-- whether it be a hand-carved wooden puzzle, lovingly stitched quilt, or custom made children's clothing item-- suddenly became illegal to sell without being tested for lead and phlatlates.

It could be a reality based on this new law in the works.

I'm all for keeping my kids and everyone else's kid's safe, but some government safety regulations just drive me nutty (like the fact that my 7 year old still has to sit in a booster seat, but I digress...)

Usually I don't get involved in this type of letter-writing campaign stuff. I prefer to think that legislation this stupid can't pass, but, well, I've been wrong before. So just in case, here is a document that you can read to learn more about the proposed Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) legislation, as well as information about who to contact with your comments about it

CPSIA- Read How/What/When HERE

Decked out for the holidays!

Well, in real life the Christmas decorating spirit has passed me by. I only decided last week to actually get a tree and decorate it, and lights on the outside of the house just aren't happening. It's an awful lot of work for such a short holiday season when we're already way too busy, right?

But when something cute and easy comes along, count me in!

Isn't my blog ADORABLE?!?!?!?!? A friend of mine pointed me to The Cutest Blog on the Block who offers up hundereds of free (that's right FREE!!!!) backgrounds for your blog. Go choose one today, and then another one tomorrow. They're all so cute, you'll have a hard time deciding which one to use.

Like I mentioned above, I have been busy finishing up work at Elon (I'm done until next summer), tutoring, shopping, attending parties and sewing. I got a fun request a few weeks ago for a Daisy Duck costume for a little girl's Christmas present, which I finished up and mailed yesterday. And now.... aaaaaaaahhhhhhh...... I will relax and turn off my machine for a week or so. My shopping is done (I think, but I always seem to keep buying things anyway), so now I will use all of my newly found free time to clean up my sewing room. Ugh. Not a fun job, but it always feels so good to get it done.

So in case I don't check in again before Christmas, I hope you have the merriest of times with friends and family this season!

The computer is here!

Greetings from my new computer, a big black Dell beast whom I've named Darth Vader, LOL! It's not really new; just new to me. A gracious friend pilfered it as a university outcast and sent it to me. In a giant 50 lb box. Which the UPS man left sitting in front of my front door (um, hello? How am I supposed to get out with a giant 50 lb box in the way?) Once I finally hauled it inside, the joy of packing peanut and bubble wrap removal began, thanks to my boys.

I got everything set up and connected, but the computer kept telling me cryptic technical messages which I did not even begin to understand (note to the world: hand me down computers do not come with manuals, start up disks, etc.!) Fortunately, I have a computer genius of a friend who texted me through my crisis and by the time DH got home, everything was up and running. Yippee!!!!

Now about those photos of things I've been working on: I did get a LOT of pictures loaded onto this computer last night but I have NO idea where my photo editing software is. I looked in a few obvious and not-so-obvious places, developed a huge compulsion to throw away all of the junk in my house, considered this a sign that I need to upgrade and buy a new version of Photoshop, and eventually gave up and went to bed. I have a feeling it's in a very obscure and random box that I would never think of looking in, so unless it is in the boxes of Christmas decor that I have been unpacking, I'm not likely to uncover it anytime soon. I think I took a little *too* much time off on my Thanksgiving vacation last week, and now the reality of cleaning the house, preparing for school, decorating for Christmas, etc. are beginning to settle in. Until them, I am editing a few in my photobucket account, of all places, so hopefully I'll have something to share tonight or tomorrow.