New Rules on Etsy

To see my Grow Your Blog post, click here.

When I originally wanted to offer cloak clasps on Etsy, I contacted them to make sure that I properly set up the listings following their guidelines and I did it exactly the way they recommended. While I have some input in the design selections, I do not actually execute the creation of them. My pewter guy, who wants to remain anonymous, makes the molds, pours the pewter and finishes them off.

It's that desire for anonymity that now makes it necessary for me to take all the pewter (cloak clasps and pendants) out of my Etsy shop. I cannot claim to make something that I do not make myself, and Etsy now has an elaborate form to fill out and a requirement of full disclosure regarding products made by others. That includes outside manufacturing companies or individuals whose products you sell.


Their goals are noble and it's not that I disagree with them...

Authorship
A handmade item begins with you. Etsy's not the place to sell new items you had no role in creating. (Is me suggesting designs considered part of the creative process, especially when he often goes off in his own direction, only loosely following my suggestions?)

Responsibility
Shop owners on Etsy are invested and knowledgeable about how their handmade items are made. (I have no real clue how the molds are made or the processes that go into the making of the pewter items.)

Transparency
By being open and honest about how items are made, we create a marketplace built on trust. (How can I be transparent when he wants to remain anonymous?)

Unfortunately, at the end of the day, that means I cannot list the pewter products on Etsy anymore. They have all been removed from my shop and the shop sections deleted. Any reference to the pewter in my public profile has been eradicated. I'm looking into other options, like Ebay, for selling them in future.

I understand that Ebay is set up differently than when I first looked at it several years ago, so that may be the direction I have to navigate towards. Another learning curve, just what I need. *smile* Of course, all the cloak clasps and pendants will still be available directly from me at events, where it all began.

Focus on Life: Week 6

To see my Grow Your Blog post, click here.

Week 6: Quiet Calm

The world begins to emerge from its wintry blanket quietly, calmly.

Subtle cues emerge with very little notice. 

For this week's photo assignment we will focus on

the quiet calm of the world re-energize around us.

I looked hard for signs of impending Spring this week but I was pretty hard pressed to find anything at all. With snow banks six feet high and temperatures in the minus double digit range; the robins are not emerging, the trees are not budding and the tulips are not poking their heads through the ground.

We continue to be in the depths of winter here without any sign of it letting up anytime soon. We had more snow fall this week, quite a bit of it actually. So, what could I possibly take a photo of that would fit this week's topic?

Then I realized that there is ONE change that has been happening slowly over the last few weeks. The sun is now up when I go to work in the morning and it has not set when I leave work at 5 p.m. That was not the case in early January. It's nice to have longer days, it lifts your spirits and gives you the hope of Spring.

This photo was taken as I was leaving work one day this week BEFORE the big snow storm dumped another foot of the white stuff on the ground. As you can see, the sun is still above the horizon. *smile*

To see the Quiet Calm photos of the other participants, check out the links below...

De-Clutter Project 2014 - Week 6

To see my Grow Your Blog post, click here.

When I walked into my kitchen one day this week, I realized that I could no longer see the top of my kitchen table. Other members of my household use it as the depository for any number of things; dirty dishes, mail, empty boxes, and who knows what else! Okay, I admit that I may be partially responsible too. *hanging head in shame*

With such varied working schedules, we rarely sit down for a meal together anymore. The men eat in front of the TV when they get home from work, and I typically bring my meals in front of my computer. It feels like I'm not eating alone that way, it must be the same for them. Or they are just men and that's what men do. *smile*

I usually try to keep on top of it but with being sick for almost two weeks, it kind of got away from me. This is embarrassing but here it is...

So, this is what I did next...

- put clean crock pot in the cupboard where it belongs
- empty egg carton went to the recycling bin
- large baking pan returned to the neighbour it was borrowed from
- bottled water put in the refrigerator
- junk mail shredded, very satisfying activity
- oven broiler pan put in the sink to be washed
- open bag of onions put in the proper place
- empty plastic shopping bags put into 'The Bag Lady'
- two Thermos bottles put into the cupboard
- old Corelle dishes, need to take them to the thrift shop
- empty boxes broken down for recycling
- box of vintage Fire King mugs, choice was to use or donate

I have to put the Corelle dishes into the car tomorrow to take to the thrift store. I decided to use the vintage mugs. They are in the cupboard now. They weren't serving any purpose packed away in a box. It's not perfect, but the table is looking a whole lot better, don't you think? I might pick up a new table cloth this week. One with flowers might be nice.

What area do you intend to tackle this week? What do you think you will find? More importantly, what will you do with it?

The Blog Hopping Continues

To see my Grow Your Blog post, click here.

There were so many participants in the Grow Your Blog hop, it was impossible to visit them all in one day, or even one week. I'm telling you, that full-time job gets in the way of my fun so many times! *smile* And the need for sleep, food and tea keeps interrupting my blog browsing too. Oh, and the cats...demanding little creatures that want to be fed, and petted, and fed again.

One of the first things that I looked for when visiting a blog last weekend was a Grow Your Blog post. If there wasn't one, I left immediately without looking any further. In my humble opinion, someone who did not bother to take the time to post wasn't worth any more of my time than that. I'm finding what is most important to me this weekend is whether or not the blogger has posted something AFTER the Grow Your Blog post.

I only want to follow blogs that are active and engaging. I've added so many to my reading list in Feedly since last Saturday. What will keep me following them is the human factor: topics of interest, conversational language and great photos. The personal touch is important to me. I want to see the 'real' person come shining through.

How many blogs did you add to your reading list? I've lost count.

Focus on Life: Week 5

To see my Grow Your Blog post, click here.

Week 5: Get Outside

Sometimes the perfect fix for temporary relief of cabin fever

is simply to get outside, even if you just step out on the porch.

Get out of the house and focus on the change cooler temps

bring to your surroundings.  

In spite of the devastation left behind by the recent ice storm (fallen trees and hydro lines, etc.), you must admit that there is an element of beauty in the ice laden trees.

Along with my winter photo for this week, I thought I would share a poem that I heard on CBC radio this week written by Priscilla Uppal. She is a Toronto poet and English professor at York University and has graciously given me permission to share it with you.

Arctic Vortex

The polar bear helping himself to my morning paper

and yesterday’s third round of take-out

says I’m free to catch a ride with him to work

since my car won’t start—battery dead as a

doornail, and the doornails wedged shut

locking us on the inside, where we’d rather be

glued to the warmth of our televisions—

stunned by the magic of outdoor ice hockey

games in Los Angeles stadiums, reminiscing

about snow days and epic snow ball fights,

the invention of snow pants and feet warmers

and arena hot chocolate—not real chocolate,

like they brew today, but the thin watery kind 

with the powdered marshmallows still digesting decades

later in our stomachs, rumors of Abominable

Snow Men, cities separating on ice floats, 

the temptations of toboggans & tongues on poles.

Not this cruel reminder that even the squirrels

are busting a gut at how low we all are

on supplies for our emergency kits—

how undignified our attempts at fire-starting,

how hopelessly those of us without landlines

now read by candlelight.

My morning shower felt like being trapped

inside a snow globe that the winter just refuses

to put down. We’re shaking white and grey,

wondering what we did to deserve such a blast

of disdain from mother earth— though I suppose it’s

true we rarely call unless we want something—

looking forward to the sweet moment we’ll stash

the shovels back in our sheds.

But for now the snowy owl has found refuge

inside the feather pillows on my king-sized bed.

And I should be amazed but I’m too distracted

by the frost against my windows and the chattering

teeth of hydro poles sputtering out last breaths. 

I weep icicles on the dashboard knowing I will soon join

that row of penguins in black-and-white suits 

marching, like the instinctual creatures they are,

in unison to the subway. 

As much as we complain about the cold weather in winter, we also commiserate about the hot weather in summer and the rain in spring. But you know what? I'd really miss the changing of the seasons if I were suddenly transported to a locale with a year-round tropical climate. We are truly blessed to live in a country of contrasts. There is beauty in every season, even winter, so get outside and enjoy it!

You can listen to the author reading her poem during a segment on Metro Morning this week called 'Embracing the Weather'.

To see the winter photos of the other participants, please check out the links below...