Back to school

My son starts school tomorrow. He is a sophomore in high school so this is not a new phenomenon but I will miss our summer together. I like the lack of schedules, the lack of watches on wrists and just knowing he is safe.

Tomorrow things change. He is out of the home and into school. Parents used to await this eagerly. Let the teachers watch them for a while. Today things are different. We worry about shooting in schools, drugs, teachers having sex with students. School is no longer a safe haven for our children. I am sure perception is much worse than reality but does that really make one feel better?

Tomorrow I will see him off and I hope his teachers, admin., coaches and other students treat him with respect and care as I expect him to treat them. If you fell your child is a danger to himself or others please get him/her help. Do not send them to school and rely on professional there to help them. They are overburdened as it is.

Tomorrow I will have a smile on my face and wish my son a great day at school but inside I will worry. That’s okay that’s what moms do.

Young men or Big boys?

Well my nineteen year old, "not sure what I am doing next semester," has just bounced his first check - that I know of. He says it is impossible he has been putting in money from his paycheck every week. "That bank is wrong!", he says. So I ask "Are you sure you are putting money in your checking account and not your savings account?" "Yes mom I always check checking on the deposit slip."

Ok so he checks the checking box on the slip but puts in the savings account number. Couldn't someone have caught this once and let him know? Argh. He is nineteen, he should be able to do this, but, as I said, is he a young man or a big boy?

Please visit my shop at http://craftsfromtheheart.etsy.com for fun dorm furnishings for those children (young men and women) returning or starting college. Good Luck.

Online friends versus offline friends

Do you think online friends are just as fulfilling as offline friends you can actually see and do things with? Can you really get to know someone over the computer? Will they really be there for you in times of crisis, times of celebration? The best of both worlds would be to have both I imagine but in this world of technology we live in there isn't enough time in the day to email and see people.
What are your views? Do you tell your online friends think you would never tell your offline friends and vice versa? Have you made lasting friendships online? Let us know. Thanks.

Glad to be back home

Well our family trip to Niagara Falls was really nice. My nineteen year old was awed by everything and my fifteen year old was not impressed with anything (at least he would not admit to it). This is my third trip to the falls and it is still overwhelming to see the amount of water that rushes over the side of those cliffs.
We did the Maid of the Mist Boat trip and we were so wet it was almost too much. We couldn't even open our eyes to see the falls sometimes but it really does give you perspective as to the pressure of that water. My sneakers are still drying out. I recommend crocs if you do this trip. :)
One day we drove into Niagara on the Lake, a small city about 20 minutes away from the falls. It was like something out of a movie script. The houses along the way were gorgeous, the vineyards lovely, the downtown was fashionable but quaint and there was a peach festival going on. What more could one ask for?
The next day we left for a trip to the Thousand Islands which was a 5 hour drive from Niagara. I expected a hotel on the lake where we could rent canoes and swim. In reality we got a best western on the main stretch of road with a tiny room, tiny trampoline, small outdoor pool - getting the picture? I did ask for a larger room and they were accomodating. Then the rain came in and we didn't really get to do much in the area. The scenery on the way there and the way out was worth the trip though.
Yesterday we made our 8 hour trip back home, stopping at mom's for dinner and now I am glad to be home and out of a car.
The boys were well behaved for the most part. Problem lies in the fact that the older son is more adventurous then the younger and gets disappointed when he doesn't join him on rides or swim outside while it's raining. Oh well, we can't have it perfect can we?
If you plan a trip to the Falls, take an afternoon to visit Niagara on the Lake, you won't regret it.
Craftsfromtheheart.etsy.com

I must be crazy or just a mom

First of all let me say I have two sons, 19 and 15. I forget sometimes that they are no longer 9 and 5 and I get these ideas in my head of doing things together as a "happy" family. I start imagining the perfect vacation we can have together so I begin making plans. I tell my husband the plans and he says "do we have to take 'them'? I can't believe he would consider not taking my wonderful little boys. He starts telling me it is an 8 hour car ride, do I really want to be in the car with them for 8 hours each way. Well, of course, I want to be with my boys for that time. They grow up so quickly after all.
Tomorrow our journey starts. I have a house/dog sitter, our id's, my husband is all packed. Now I will not be packed until the last minute because I cannot believe we are doing this again. Everytime we drive a long distance with the kids we all end up angry with each other. What was I thinking?
Once we get to our destination, will they want to sightsee? No they want to play video games in the hotel room. Their favorite part of any trip is the hotel room. At least now they are old enough to leave in the room so my husband and I can roam if we want to.
I just want to fill their heads with happy memories of family vacations. Am I being pollyannish? Maybe but they are my boys and I want to keep it that way for as long as possible. Wish us luck. Will report back how it went on Tuesday.
Have a happy weekend.
Don't forget to shop on website http://craftsfromtheheart.etsy.com

I am on trunkt

I am so excited that my handmade pillows have been accepted to appear on the website trunkt.org. It is a juried site that produces minimags and catalogs to potential commercial buyers.
I feel like it gives me a legitimacy that I questioned when starting online sales.

It is hard to judge when creating an object how others will feel about it. You may think wow this came out pretty well but it will just sit in your shop. Other times you will sell things that may not necessarily be your own style and get wonderful feedback.

I think it is true that we are our own worst critics. Even with my 98 sales on etsy and my acceptance on trunkt there is still that little girl in me that says it is all a fluke. Although, you know that voice is not as loud as it used to be.

Sampler of my items

A Sampling of what you will find at my shop at
craftsfromtheheart.etsy.com. Enjoy shopping!

Not much to say except $1 cards for sale

I'm clearing out part of my online shop at etsy, so, I am selling individual handmade cards for a buck each. Can't beat that. Sets are only $3.00. Come help me clear out and achieve a goal of 100 sales. Thanks.

sew I am cranky, you would be too

It is hot an muggy where I live, there is no air conditioning in my craft room which is in the second floor of my cape home (attic). Do you see why I may be on the cranky side? Money is tight in the summer because I am a substitute teacher and do not get paid for summer vacation. I was hoping to fill in some income by selling my handmade treasures online but considering summer is a slow time for retail, this plan has not been one of my best. I do have the time to create things for the busier season which is good but getting through the summer when tax bills are do can sometimes make for some nail biters.
I guess we will be eating spaghetti a bit more often until the buyers come back. In the meantime I will be up in my craftroom with my cranky self.

The joy of selling handmade items online

The joy of selling handmade items online

Don't get me wrong, I love to make items and have someone purchase them to use. The problem lies when you have obstacles between the process of getting the raw materials to actually selling the item Today is a prime example.
Yesterday I went to one of the very few left fabric stores in my area. They were having a great sale so I got some patterns, fabric and notions. The fabric I choose it a silky brocade with pretty butterflies on it. I thought it would be perfect for pillows but I remember having trouble sewing similar fabric a few years ago. I ask the clerk if she could help me find the proper needles to use. She tells me she doesn't sew. She works in a fabric store but doesn't sew. Ok can anyone else help me? Oh anyone older than me. So when I get to the cashier, I ask her for some guidance. She really doesn't know so has me buy a combination set of needles which set me back almost 5 dollars. Now if this were Walmart, I would think ok maybe they are not trained in this department but this is a FABRIC store. Ok ready to check out; of course these little things add up and 60 bucks later, I am ready to go home and start sewing. Ha! Life gets in the way. I start posting to forums, clean my computer room, do some paperwork. You get the idea, no sewing yesterday.
Today I am ready. I have my serger which takes a good hour to thread just right. Then I get my sewing machine ready. Do you think I can get that to make a nice closed stitch? Nooooooooo. So I figure I would clean it out. I pulled out enough dust to make a small plushie. Now I am ready so I take a scrap of fabric and try about 8 times to get it right. Tension too high, tension too low, rethread, rebobbin. Okay, good enough, not perfect, but noone would know but me. I am making pillows so most of the stitching is on the inside. As long as it is a strong stitch it will be fine.
So now, about 6 hours later the pillows are done. Nothing fancy but nice. The fabric is what makes them special. It is a beautiful asian inspired brocade with images of rainbow colored fancy butterflies.
Now to photograph them. I take several shots on my leather couch only to realize the dark black is coming out grayish and dull. I try adjusting the white balance with no luck. I really want to show how pretty the material is so I take a few photos outside. They are better but now what my eye sees.
Now to list them in my etsy shop. I try to think of 14 tags to use to make up they show up in various searches. This is always tricky because you want to be broad but not so much that you infringe on other's categories. I do my best and list them. They are in my shop priced at 20 dollars each. I am now feeling I have overpriced them. The fabric and form and thread and broken needles. ( Oh I didn't mention I broke 4 needles) come to about 12 dollars and I added 8 dollars for my time. That really isn't much, but are buyers willing to pay. Only time will tell.

Dogdays of online selling

Well these hot summer months are what weed out the part time sellers from the professionals. As a professional seller, you know that every year this slowdown is inevitable. Buyers are on vacation, spending time with family, or just getting out of the house. There are no major holidays to shop for, hence, no need to spend disposable income.
This is the time a smart seller uses to get their inventory ready for the busy months, increases their advertising presence, and pretties up their shops. It is not a time to sit around and whine about the decrease in sales, be proactive not reactive.
If you carry lots of summer items in your shops, you may want to have a sale to generate interest. The key is to still turn a profit. Do not undervalue your hard work. Whether it is time you spent creating an object or the time you spent looking for the item to sell. Of course buyers are always looking for bargains but you can make them feel they Need what you have.
Make sure you have professional photos, excellent descriptions, and offer excellent customer service. Packaging is key for return buyers. Make a buyer feel like he/she has just received a gift in the mail. Enclose a few business cards so the buyer can pass them on to friends. Include a hand written note whenever possible. Let the buyer know you are willing to work out any issues with them.
Now go out there and make the best of these slow days, maybe take a day or two off yourself.

chris benoit

This latest death is taking a toll on my son. He watches these wrestlers every week and he has his favorites and not so favorites. He becomes attached to the "good guys." That is the premise of this soap opera.
The problem lately is that these wrestlers are dying at a relatively young age. Are steroids affecting their mental state? Is the pressure to keep up too much?
I don't have any answers but lots of questions. My sons are over 15 so it is hard to say don't watch this, but I worry about them. So much sadness, so much lost hope. To think a "hero" may have killed his wife and child is just too much to bear.
Hug your spouse and kids today and tell them life is not all bad.

UConn vs. Tennessee Rivalry

What is up with Pat Summit? Does she not care about the game of women's basketball? She is setting it back 20 years. The UConn Tennessee rivalry is what brought millions of fans to women's college basketball. Ms. Summit why are you doing this to the young girls who look up to you. To them you are wimping out.
I know you and Geno are not friends, who cares. What matters are the fans and the future players. You may not like UConn's way of coaching or recruiting but that doesn't mean you get your ball and go home. You strive to make your team better. What about your future recruits that want to play UConn? Why do you get to choose the schedule?
I know you don't like to lose. That is what adds to the rivalry and makes the sport interesting to watch. I really fear for the sport if this rivalry is ended. It would be like if the RedSox never got to play The Yankees again.
Please reconsider your decision. Put the game before your ego. You owe it to your team and to all women's basketball fans.

Is the war over yet?

Is it over yet? Why isn't it over? Have we accomplished anything? Is Iraq better off now? Are we better off now? Do we want our young to keep dying? I know these are tough questions but we need to get the brightest minds to come up with a way to resolve this. Obviously they are not in government offices. We should be able to settle disputes without bloodshed. It should be a give and take. Please, if you can help these governments officials end this war, come forward, party doesn't matter. This should not be a political issue, it is a humanitarian issue. We can no longer lose lives our or theirs.
http://craftsfromtheheart.etsy.com

Yard Work

It is that time of year when our thoughts go to fixing up the outside of our homes. I think of purchasing shrubs and flowers and then think of how my husband is a maniac with his weed trimmer. He loves to go through like a tornado and cut down the items I just planted. He always tells me he can't tell the difference between a weed and a vital plant. UGH! I even put markers around them but those are ignored. So my dilemma is do I try it again this year and walk him around the yard and explaining each plant to him or do I give up and live with a "no color" yard?
Stay tuned ...

National Bingo Game Show

Well last night my family and I watched that new game show on ABC, the National Bingo Game. We printed our bingo cards off the internet and were prepared to win our millions. We were going to pay off the house, cover the college bills, and have fun money. Well believe it or not, we did not win a penny. Our dreams were squashed. We realized we wasted an hour sitting on the couch watching this show only to be left feeling empty.
I guess I can be happy that my family actually watched the same show in the same room for an hour and did not compete against each other. Rather, we were competing against a common enemy (the contestant) hoping we would hit bingo before she/he won the money or the car or the cruise. It is sad when we are rooting against others' fortunes in order for us to receive our own. I wonder what message I was sending to my children?
It is only a game, I know, but maybe next week we will just watch and root for the contestant rather than try to play against him/her. But then again....
Linda
craftsfromtheheart.etsy.com for all your online shopping needs.

Drunk Driving Paris

Drunk drivers suck. Do they think they are invincible? So many kill people everyday, many don't even get hurt themselves.
Paris Hilton is uber rich. Why does she not have a driver if she wants to go out and party all night? Why is she only getting 45 days. Is that going to teach her a lesson? I doubt it. Her parents should be jailed with her for raising a spoiled brat. If her mother wasn't so busy trying to get air time, she may have had time to teach her daughter right from wrong. As they say, money definitely does not buy happiness or brains but I guess it can get you out of trouble.
craftsfromtheheart.etsy.com

Low Pay for substitute teachers

My blog today will be a rant. I am sorry for this rant but I need to vent and this will be the place for that today. I am a substitute teacher in Connecticut. In order for one to be a sub in Connecticut, one must have a college degree. For the achievement of receiving a college degree I am paid $70 a day. I work an average of 7 hours a day with a 25 minute lunch. That makes my pay $10 an hour. If I had not gone to college but I were a cashier or waitress I would make more than that in Connecticut. Why demand a substitute teacher have a college degree if you do not intend on paying him or her for education and experience.
I agree with the fact that substitute teachers should be college educated but I also believe they should be paid the wage of a college educated professional. I would think a parent would not accept any less. The sub pay should start at $20 and hour and go up from there. There are no other benefits involved so the school systems are paying us babysitter wages. Please let your boards of eds. know that you think sub pay should be increased and that you demand a high level of professionalism from the substitutes not just someone looking to fill their days with something to do.

Children's Sports

Sports Fans, you may be one or maybe not but I know you know more than one. This is the season we see the town fields crowded on Saturday mornings with children playing all kinds of sports. The benefits of course are exercise, learning teamwork, and having fun.

The problem begins when the game is no longer fun and the pressure to win overshadows the benefits previously stated. When the kids are just out there playing with their friends and learning new skills their faces beam with pride. When they lose and the parents go home with frowns the kids can pick up on that.

Let us stress to these children their accomplishments. Let us tell them how they improve each time they are out there and that we appreciate the way the work together towards a common goal. Do not promise them anything if they win. Treat them win or lose or better yet just a pat on the back may be all they need.

Let us not live through our children’s wins and losses. Let us live through their kindness and respect for others. Make sure they thank their coaches and assistants and refs. after every game and practice and make sure they shake the hands of their opponents.

The examples we set are the way our children learn.

If you would like to thank those coaches or surprise your budding athletes with a little something, I have the perfect items. These sports magnets are nice and strong and are great on the fridge to hold rosters, schedules etc. or for the kids’ lockers.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=100569&section_id=5055602