BaublesButtonsBeads

Echo, ECHO, Echoooooooooooo...Just Empty Walls...

2011-04-09T22:21:00.000-07:00

Sorry folks, I moved out!

This blog was to showcase

my jewelry and artisan friends of

1000Markets,

and since it no longer exists...

I began using my friends and family blog,

Cottage Hann~Me~Downs

as my blogging voice

and CrEaTiVe outlet

for my love of Cottage (decorating),

vintage treasures, thrifty finds, and whatever

else I want to share with my fellow bloggers,

(always with a bit of whimsy thrown in for fun)...

oh, and maybe, just maybe there will be

cupcakes,

but you can always count on a

cuppa coffee!

The doors always open, please

feel free to come visit!

Debbie~

You can find me at: Cottage Hann~Me~Downs

Be My Valentine, all found at Victorian Crossroad's Market

2010-01-24T09:39:00.000-08:00

You can find all of these wonderful Valentine
idea's at 'Victorian Crossroad's Market,' at 1000Markets!

She calls this a little burlesque and I can
see why, it's such a fantastic piece of wearable
art!!! To see this and all of delight's fabulous
artwear, please go visit delightworthyn Art/Wares!

I think this brooch would be a fabulous Valentine
gift for your sweetie! You can find this and so
many more OOAK treasures in delightworthyn Art/Wares

These Valentine cards are beautiful, with such an
old fashtioned flair, you're sure to find your
Valentine the perfect card! You'll find a wonderful
assortment of Valentines in EarthPrints shop!

I looove how this artisan has made her Valentine cards
look so old fashiony, they're all so special and
you're sure to find just the right one for your
'Special Valentine' with this great assortment
in EarthPrints shop!

So many of us have pets we consider our babies, wouldn't
you agree, a portrait of your baby would be just about the
best Valentine present ever? I think so! You can find this
fantastic artist's work at 'Wind and Honey Creations'!

I thought this would be a darling Valentines present (
especially because of it's yummy lavender scent)
maybe for your Special Grandma!
You can find this in the shop called 'anna's trunk'!

These delightful earrings have 'Be Mine' written
all over them...well in my eyes they do!!!
They're adorable! You can find these sweet
dragonfly earrings in EverSoDear's shop!
This beautiful ring can be found in Alterity's Shopwhere you can find a variety of OOAK beautiful jewelry items made from 'No Harm' vintage buttons!

Adorable 'Love Letter' gift tags, You'll find these and so many
more at Catnip Studio's lovely gift tag shop!

I looove these darling gift tags for that 'SPECIAL VALENTINE'
in your life! You'll find these in 'Catnip Studio's shop'

I think this yummy Apple Rosemary Jelly would not only taste
delicious but be ever so pretty on your Valentine Breakfast
table, from the shop of 'Covered in Chocolate'
What Valentine Sweetheart (Man or Women) wouldn't
love this yummy treat from the shop of 'Covered in Chocolate'!

Please take a few minutes and go check these shops out and
all the others on the market too, you'll love what all
these artisans have for YOU!!!

Always, Debbie~

Idea's for Your Valentine!

2010-01-22T23:23:00.000-08:00

These earrings could hold the key to her heart!

This sweet wearable art necklace is made with repurposed
vintage buttons, a heart locket and a pretty rhinestone!

A sweet solder pendant for your favorite Nana that Inspires YOU!

Visit me at Cottage Hann~Me~Downs

2010-01-13T20:00:00.000-08:00

Hi there! I'm starting to blog on my Cottage Hann~Me~Downs
Please come over and check it out, I'll be using Baubles
blog for my jewelry business and promoting other artisan
friends here, but I'll be sharing my love of all things
cottage and how to's on this other site, please stop by
and I'd love to hear from you, if you have anything to
add, please feel free to share, and for goodness sake if
you're into the cottage look or if you call it by another
name (Shabby Chic, French Country etc.) please tell us
about it and what your up too!

Big Changes for me in Blog Land! (please note address change) thx.

2010-01-09T10:52:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone! I'm making some changes this New Year,
big time in my blog world! I'm basically flip flopping
this blog to my other one, (it was reserved for
family & friends), but I believe it will be wiser for
me to send you all over to Cottage Hann~Me~DownsIt's really hard to rename a blog and this has always been
hann~me~downs, but I'm renaming it Cottage
hann~me~downs, I think that best suits it and I think it'll
be a better fit for me! I'll still have Baubles Buttons & Beads,
but I'll just be listing my jewelry business items here as
well as featuring my artist friends!!! You're sure welcome to
visit this blog anytime you'd like and if you'd like to be featured
here with your art or if you have a shop cottage or vintage
etc. please contact me, I'd love to showcase YOU!!!

Happy New Year, from my little corner of the world, near the Emerald City!

2010-01-03T22:00:00.000-08:00

I had good intentions, Yes I did, but as you know,
sometimes even the BEST intentions are sometimes
de-railed, so one of my New Years resolutions (and
yes, there are many) is to try just a little bit harder
to blog with a little more regularity... :)

New years Eve Day, I spent with my good friend Pattie, we
went junkin',(thrift stores & antique shops)sadly I was so
excited and in such a hurry when I left to meet her, I forgot
my camera, so I can't really show you much about the day, but
I can tell you we had a wonderful time, we both found some
fabulous treasures and a new(to us)antique mall we'd never
been to before, so we ended our day there and I know it will
be our first stop on our next treasure hunt!!!

I'll share pictures soon of what I just couldn't live without,
and Pattie sent me a couple pictures of some of her new treasures
to share with you too!

My Village People

2009-12-28T20:45:00.000-08:00

About 20 years or more, I stopped at a yard sale near
my home and found a small tattered box, I peeked inside
and was soooo totally amazed at what I saw, it was
a tiny vintage village with darling little folks, some sitting
on pine cones others on ski's, but they were all so adorable!
I'd hoped to collect a village just like this one someday,
but I never dreamt I'd find it at a tag sale for $.50! So
needless to say I scooped the box up and the
rototiller I also found! To this day I believe it
to be my best yard sale EVER!!!

I love each and everyone of these little guys!

Each elf has such personality!

Where Oh Where has the time gone, Christmas has almost come & gone!

2009-12-24T20:59:00.000-08:00

Here's some of what I've been up to, I love
decorating for Christmas and this year I went
crazy with glitter, silver & white and my all
time fave cyrstal & glass, I looove the
SpArKle!!!

Such a fun centerpiece, from the silver
balls to pearls & vintage rhinestone necklace,
pins & earrings lots of Glitter & Sparkle!

My table centerpiece is full of fun & 'SpArKlE'

My Vintage tree top angel is an Ebay find that I
so looove, I thought it was just like the one my
Grandfather had on his tree when I was a little
girl, but my Uncle tells me it's not quite the
same.

My dining room cupboard is brimming with Santa's
and fun Christmas Goodies!

This wreath is quite large and mostly houses my vintage
Christmas items I've collected over the years, however
I think I left my glue gun at work and quite a few treasures
are waiting to be reunited with old friends!

My Mantle...

I've got a few things to take care of still, my almond roca
is cooling but there are mounds & chocolate covered pretzels
to make,(yes, still tonight) thank goodness the Pizzeles are done!

WISHING YOU & YOURS A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS,
and I hope all your dreams come true and
from MY HOME TO YOURS, WE SEND BLESSINGS
OF A HEALTHY & HAPPY NEW YEAR! With Love, Debbie~

How to WIN a Holiday Giveaway Package!

2009-11-16T19:35:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine is having a giveaway over at her blog,
Covered in Chocolate Bakery Shoppe!
She makes delicious treats, that you won't want to miss and you COULD be the 'BIG WINNER' of her GIVEAWAY!!!

All you have to do, is tell her about a holiday, that was your favorite ~ it can be a happy, sad, funny, or just beautiful(come on, we all have one)! So get busy, the contests ends Novermber 30th and she'll announce the winner on December 1st. Then your gift package of her sweet treats will be mailed off on December 3nd. It can be mailed as a gift to a loved one, or mailed directly to you! Arriving before christmas! A value over $65.00!!!

The gift package includes:
kiwi jam(I've tried this, scroll down a few posts, it's delicious), apple rosemary jelly, Nectarine/Plum chutney, Sweet Pepper Apple chutney, Red Caramelized Onion relish, white chocolate lollipop, chocolate bar, and a Toffee butter crunch candy.

Please note: There must be at least 6 different members to post for contest drawing! Other wise the contest drawing will be void. So tell your friends and family about this blog and post your holiday favorite story!

What Girl Doesn't Want a little CHARM, for Christmas?

2009-11-15T16:17:00.000-08:00

In the Spirit of Christmas,You can find these Charmers
in my shop

We could 'ALL' use a little more Peace & Love my friends!!!

Santa Baby...a little sparkle would be ever sooo NICE!

It's a Beautiful Icy color, but NOT a Blue Blue Christmas!

'God Bless Us Everyone!

...and the Winner Is!

2009-11-15T15:49:00.000-08:00

The winner of this beautiful bracelet & earring set is Laure of
ElegantArts
as high bidder! We're so happy she participated in our
Benefit Auction and thank her from the bottom of our
hearts!

All proceeds will be donated to Bernie Berlin's A Place to Bark .

This is a Special Thank YOU to all the participating shops who've given so much of themselves for this event, and a 'HUGE SHOUT OUT' to katy, for creating such a beautiful bracelet & earring set, Maribeth and her hubby Vinnie for making this sweet THANK YOU POSTER as well as the Auction Poster, we are blessed to have such creative, giving artisans at Peace & Love!

FYI! All these adorable pets you see in this poster belong
to all of the participants of Peace & Love's family that
worked on this awesome project!!! Love you guys, Deb~

Peace & Love's Benefit Auction for 'A Place to Bark'!

2009-11-01T19:47:00.000-08:00

This beautiful graphic was illustrated by "Vinnie Maribeth's husband, we thank him from the bottom of our hearts!
This is the Beautiful
OOAK Sterling Silver Charm Bracelet we're auctioning!
Stunning Christmas Bracelet!
A different angle of the bracelet!
Sterling Silver Earrings with faceted bead!

We've chosen Bernie Berlin's, A Place to Bark as our special cause, and have made this exclusive OOAK "Christmas Charm Bracelet & Earrings", to be sold at our 'Benefit Auction'!

Below is a list of the artists who participated, please visit
their shops and check them out!

Maribeth Brief Moments

katy Jewel Fire Designs

Debbie BaublesButtonsBeads

Lee Five to Nine Design

Cheryl Libertyo

Susan Charming Trinkets

Diane Ever so Dear

PattyMara PattyMara's Sacred Heart Cafe

Abby Abby Horowitz Designs

Ronnie My Three Jewels

Debi "One Heart Jewelry"

Katy Jane "Moon Box Studio"

Peggy "Broken Wing3"

I Won This Delicious Jam!

2009-10-25T22:37:00.000-07:00

How exciting, I've never won something like this before!

This is Kiwi Rumba Jam!

Doesn't it look yummy! It is!

I can honestly tell you, you can't just eat one bite!

You can't stop at two bites either! :)

I love to visit blogs, I've learned so much about so many of
YOU! I've traveled to other lands through your blogs, watched
as you've been blessed with a new grandchild, or cried when
you've lost a parent. Been amazed by your talent, whimsy &
charm, loved your style, dreamed of eating your fabulous
recipes (Pat), :) loved your honesty and feel so familiar with
many of you and have many new friendships all because of your
awesome blogs...

So when I recently won this jam, I knew I had to share it with
you guys! You will be pleasantly surprised by all her delicious
desserts and you may just have to visit Covered in Chocolate Bakery Shoppe and order one of her yummy desserts! Check
her blog often, she always has something yummy cooking!

Thanks again Pat, what a fun jam and it really is delicious!

For another treat, check out her other shop! AS2 designs!

A Little Girls Button Lesson From the 40's!

2009-10-10T21:07:00.000-07:00

This box is adorable, what's in it is priceless!

What fun learning to sew with these sweet cards!

Wouldn't the little girl in YOUR life love these!

Several years ago a friend & I started a small antique business
together in an antique mall, we spent our Saturdays scouring the
area for estate sales(our favorite), or good garage sales! We’d
heard about a sale in an older stately part of town, that we were
looking forward too. When we arrived an hour or so early, we had
to wait in a long line with all the other treasure Hunters!

Finally it was our turn to go in, with a small group, however,
once inside we found many people still filled each room. We
quickly could see it was like a dream come true for us, it was
FULL of the most beautiful antiques. It was as if time had stood
still for this house, it had been closed up and left exactly like
it was, when the family had lived there.(It seemed as if it had
been from another time period)!

There was very beautiful period furniture, exquisite glassware
and a houseful of vintage odds and ends that made our heads
swim with ‘GLEE’! It was still hard to move around, because the
house was so full of people! I was able to find a few things,
but I felt driven to go through the whole house to see everything!
I usually loved going through kitchens the most, because we
specialized in the 50’s look in our antique space, with lots
of kitchen gadgets, but I couldn’t even begin to get into
this kitchen.

I slowly worked my way around to the grand Stairway and up
to the upper floor to see what I could find! I went into a
little girls bedroom that seemed to hold her treasured belongings
as if she’d be returning soon! This child seemed to have
everything a little girl could want. I was excited to find
some children’s kitchen utensils that were amazing and in
brand new condition, (I’d started a kitchen cupboard for my
little granddaughter and this would be something I’d keep for her).

Back out in the hallway I noticed a Small room at the end of
the hall, I made my way into it and was totally taken back at
what I found! It was a sewing room, full of beautiful vintage
sewing items! There were yards and yards of vintage fabric still
on the fabric Boards covering shelves, lots and lots of pin
cushion’s full of every kind of needle you could imagine, colorful
thimbles, rickrack’s and beautiful trim in every color imaginable
and BUTTONS, it was unlike anything I’d ever seen before! I had
my bag I carried for estate sales and quickly filled it up with
beautiful yardage, a pin cushion and a sweet box that belonged
to the little girl of the house, it was the sweetest box from the
40’s with picture cards with buttons sewn onto each card, the
buttons were all shapes, sizes and colors decorating each picture
card! I imagined her Mom being excited to find something fun to
help her teach her young daughter how to sew, it was obvious the
women of this splendid home loved to sew!

There were many helpers at this sale and they were all
wonderfully friendly older women who all knew the owner! I
finally met her and was truly inspired by her, a Catholic
Sister with the help of all her Sister friends! She had been
the little girl of the house and shared with me the age of
the darling kitchen utensils and of her button cards!

So Janet, if you read this, I thank you for sharing and I want you
to know my second Granddaughter is playing with your childhood
utensils and loving them and I still keep your button cards as
one of my most prized possessions! On that particular day,all
of the items I found, (except for the fabric, that a friend talked
me out of)are with me still.

If you love buttons like I do, please check out the wonderful
button Market! All Buttoned Up!
You'll be pleasantly surprised at what this group of artisan's can do
with buttons!

My Colorful kitschy Collectables!

2009-10-03T12:53:00.000-07:00

You know I looove the 'Cottage Look', but color is as big
a part of the boomers lives as 'Peace & Love', so here's
yet another part of what I love and what defines my style!

A little peek into my pyrex and chalkware(Goddy fruit, collections)!

My kitchen color is bright yellow, this picture doesn't really show
the true color!

The chalkware collection continues around the top of the cupboards
around both sides of the kitchen!

Even though I looove the cottage look and everything
vintage, it's easy to fall into color for my
kitchen, I looove the kitschy colorful chalkware
from our Grandma's kitchen! I call it my Goddy
fruity look! I especially adore the little faces
on some of the little fruity guys! I've carried
it out into my dining room, but kept the BRIGHT
yellow color in the kitchen, since the dining room
is really open to the living room, I kept it white!

I've painted the fruity design from my Corelle dishes
on my dining room cupboard and the same with my
Granddaughters itsy cupboard! It holds my VERY
colorful collection of PYREX! I found a beautiful
wool area rug with, YOU GUESSED IT, a fruity border!

I hope to find the perfect 'smallish' chandelier
that's just right and fits my dining room!

My Cottage Look!

2009-09-25T16:30:00.000-07:00

Not always Chic...but comfortably lived in!

I loooove what I call the 'Cottage Look'!!! It definitely
is my favorite style, no matter where I see 'THE LOOK', it
doesn't matter what it's called, Shabby Chic, French Country
or The Cottage Look, to me it's BEAUTIFUL, it means one of
a kind decorating with vintage beauty mixed in with varying
shades of WHITE!!! Wait, that isn't always the RULE!
Clean, tasteful and ALWAYS BEAUTIFUL or cluttered, rusty
...and ALWAYS BEAUTIFUL! What about WHITE??? Color is not
forbidden! My rule is...Always use what you have, and only
have what you believe to be BEAUTIFUL!

Nothing to matchy, matchy and if it is, it must be vintage
or 'Hand Made'. We all tend to be collectors of stuff! Beauty
is truly in the eye of the beholder, which also makes the
cottage look more appealing to us. I know that someone may
enjoy 'MY COTTAGE LOOK', but their 'Cottage Look' may be
totally different, making it their own beautiful style and
oh so different! Which is why it's so inviting to so many of
us! It's always different in every home, making it so much
fun for us to take a peek and see what's going on in yet
another 'Cottage Home'!!!

I will tell you right off the get go, that my house is lived
in and if there's a shelf, it's full and our Grandkiddos, are
not forbidden to play here, it's kid friendly, so excuse my
Granddaughters books or a toy here or there, but this is
MY COTTAGE LOOK, comfort is as important to me as the warm
cozy feeling of the look itself!

Here's a portion of my living room, the chaise lounge
is a vintage shorty, that I looove! (I bought it years
ago at the antique mall I had a booth in), The mid century
lounge chair & ottoman with white leather pads are a favorite
of mine (found at a thrift shop a couple of years ago), the
shelf unit was from the 70's, (very ugly), stained almost
black, with gold marbled mirrors in the back, without glass
in the doors or the beautiful green knobs (garage sale find),
the french lamp was an antique store find (I just had to have)
I found the green glass shades at a garage sale a few years
later!!! Beautiful rose trays (a thrift store find)!

The gorgeous vintage window paned door in the background
was a find from a house in a nearby town, it was the
original outside door to that house. I had it cut to fit
the opening from my living room to my family room. It
truly gives these two rooms a warm feeling from the past!

What I really want to share with you, is how I painted my
living room walls...My wall paint isn't stark white, I
call it lace, I found a stencil I liked and painted
using white acrylic paint around my whole living room,
giving it a beautiful background to my 'Cottage Look'!
If you've been thinking it's hard to get the look you want
start small, maybe just painting and start picking up a
few garage sale finds that warm your heart, before you
know it, you'll have a room full of treasured objects that
define your own style and 'Cottage Look'!

An Open Letter to My Pets!

2009-09-16T22:17:00.000-07:00

I wish I could take credit for writing this,
but I didn't, I wish I did know, so I could
give them the awesome credit they so deserve!
If you have pets, I know you too, understand!

Dear Dogs and Cats:

The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Racing me to the bottom is not the object.. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other, stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out on the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom! If, by some miracle, I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge in an attempt to open the door. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years - canine/feline attendance is not required.

The proper order for kissing is: Kiss me first, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough.

Finally, in fairness, dear pets, I have posted the following message on the front door:

TO ALL NON-PET OWNERS WHO VISIT AND LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT OUR PETS:

(1) They live here. You don't.
(2) If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That's why they call it 'fur'-niture.
(3) I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
(4) To you, they are animals. To me, they are adopted sons/daughters who are short, hairy, walk on all fours and don't speak clearly.

Remember, dogs and cats are better than kids because they:

(1) eat less,
(2) don't ask for money all the time,
(3) are easier to train,
(4) normally come when called,
(5) never ask to drive the car,
(6) don't smoke or drink,
(7) don't want to wear your clothes,
(8) don't have to buy the latest fashions,
(9) don't need a gazillion dollars for college and
(10) if they get pregnant, you can sell their children ...

Good Bye Summer, Hello FALL! Follow Me to OUR Farmers Market, Where I Always Have A Ball!

2009-09-09T19:46:00.000-07:00

Stroll with me through the "Farmers Market" while I choose
a few veggies and help me pick out a bouquet of flowers,
it sounds much easier than it really is! You'll see!!!

As I walk along the old uneven oil soaked dock towards one of
my very favorite places, I realize as I look out over the water,
how blessed I am to live in the Pacific Northwest, with all
of this at my doorstep!

Oh the Thinks YOU Can Think, (by Dr.Seuss)!From this vantage point!

I love to look across the small harbor of boats & docks to see the
white tents beckoning me closer...

I adore our Farmers Market, it's always a treat to all of my senses!
It naturally picks me up, from the minute I get near the water
front and as I drive onto the wharf, I can feel the excitement in the air!

I love the sights, sounds & smells of an outdoor Market!

Blueberry muffins ANYONE? Simply beautiful!

I love the festive colors!

You can't beat the quality of the fresh veggies &
fruit our local farmers have to offer! I so wish I could
send you a gentle breeze with the aroma from this booth,
it's always heavenly!

Picking my flowers is never as easy as one would think
it would be...too many choices!

Could you easily choose your bouquet?

Usually I choose my flowers because I happen upon an all
white bouquet, with oodles of white lilies,(for fragrance)!

Now you see why I must wander through the whole Farmers Market,
and usually back through again...(which I did this time)
back to the beginning for my gorgeous bouquet!

This is the sweet vendor I bought my fresh bouquet from, she
was such a delight! Normally I buy all white flowers,
I have my cottage white going on, so I opt for beautiful white
flowers most of the time, until Fall, then I go for a
beautiful fall bouquet like this one!

Do you ever Daydream what it would be like to own your own little Cottage? I do!

2009-08-31T12:06:00.000-07:00

I've always loved this cottage, there aren't many
like it in our area! I hadn't seen this in years,
so yesterday I decided to go find it again and
daydream about how fun it would be to own a cottage
like this! I've loved it since I was a little girl!

I think this cottage is sooo sweet, could you just
imagine living in it?

I'd have to have a cottage garden all across the front
and side yards!

If it were mine, I'd clear the shrubs away from
the windows, so I could enjoy the cottage garden
& sunlight streaming through the windows!

Love their flower boxes, very sweet! You can tell
they love their sweet cottage on the hill!

I've always loved this cottage, there aren't many
like it in our area! I hadn't seen this in years,
so yesterday I decided to go find it again and
daydream about how fun it would be to own a cottage
like this!

Does ANYONE do this? I get into one of my CrEaTiVe MoOdS....and the next thing I know, SiDeTrAcKeD! UGH....

2009-08-29T17:13:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, right after the kids
wedding, I'd decided to finish some of my
unfinished projects, and work out some of the
designs I've had rattling around...I was doing
a GREAT job, I had a stack of soldering done,
just waiting for their bling to be added or
a ball chain or two...

Enough with he excuses, here are a few of
pendants!

Pansy's run through out my house, a constant
reminder of my Grandma Stella! When I was
a little girl, she took me out her back
step and showed me her pansy garden, she
wanted me to see their pretty faces! I
cannot look at a pansy to this day and not
see their sweet pansy face, that she
shared with me that very special day!

For all of YOU Nana's who...Inspire, dance, sing,
are creative, that listen (mostly with your heart)
& cuddle...

I had to make this for YOU!

A little whimsy O'Mine Pansy!

I looove this cabbage rose and the sweet
little face peeking out!

You might not know this, but I looove anything
cottage, including this little cottage picture!

My Mom would have loooved this!

...and the other side

Victorian Crossroads Market Open's it's Doors, for YOUR buying Pleasure!

2009-08-25T10:32:00.000-07:00

The Manager of Victorian Crossroads beautiful shop
is AS2 designs, This beautiful picture is a Digital
Abstract, that she uses as her avatar, I just
love it! Her shop has lovely photographs as well
as a wonderful assortment of beautiful greeting
cards, made with mixed media!
Come and meet the Merchants of her beautiful Market!
We welcome you to browse through the shops at your
leisure, keep in mind 'The Holidays' are right around
the corner, we surely have, just the perfect item,
on one of your loved ones lists!!! ENJOY!

I love Delta Moon Soapworks colorful wrappers and their names sound good enough to eat! :)
The lavender collection are all made with Lavender
Essential Oils!

Anthony's Beehive
is a colorful shop full of honey items and I really
think these honey straws are fabulous item, what
a wonderful gift they'd make the tea drinker in
your family (or am I the only tea drinker that adds
honey)?

Among The Ruins is a delightful shop, full of very
unique jewelry, even her hand made chains are
beautiful. I love how she adds faceted glass
to her steampunk elements making them such
classic beauties!

Art by Jay is fabulous, I love all of his paintings!
Take a minute to read his blog to be inspired
like I was!

I love vintage buttons, so it would be impossible to
pick a favorite in Alterity's Shop, however, this tatted choker would be one of my faves!
This is one of my two favorite items,
that I looove in delightworthyn's shop, but there is sooo much more to choose from, you must look
at her ART/wares made from beautiful fabrics, some
hand dyed!

I'm a pushover for beautiful Roses, so these cards
really caught my eye, you'll find these beautiful cards,
pillows and so much more at Anna's Trunk!

Dark Horse Store has beautiful Fine Ceramic Art Collectables and
gifts! You'll find some fun holiday items available too!
I just love Ever So Dear's Butterfly Brooch
Collection and all of her beautiful jewelry
and I love how she uses vintage plates to highlight
her pretties!

These beautiful tags are just a tease, of the tags
you'll find for every holiday or wistful whimsy you'd
like! You've got to check out CatnipStudio!

I love the use of paper and fabric in these Collages!
You've got to go check out TwoCoolTexans and their blog!
You'll find this card along with beautiful personalized note cards and darling tags to name just a few products in EarthPrints Shop!

This beautiful Animal Portrait is one of many and just
a smig of what you'll find at Wind and Honey Creations! Beautiful artworks!

and lastly me....

One of my OOAK vintage bracelets you can find in my shop
Baubles Buttons & Beads

We welcome you with open arms, to this beautiful
new Market, Victorian Crossroads a beautiful addition to 1000Markets.com

Mama got a New Car so Papa got a New Set of Wheels!

2009-08-24T09:23:00.000-07:00

This is not for the faint of heart...Avert your
eyes if red meat turns your stomache...

The Unveiling
There it is, in all it's glory...Papa's brand spanking
new 'Char Grill' barbeque!

Breaking it in...Rib Steak to Perfection!

Happiness Is... A Man with his favorite Grill WooHoo,
(that's not Girl) you read it right! :)

Now that's a meal fit for a 'King', rib steak,
four bean salad & fresh tomatoes right off the vine
(picked a couple of minutes before), mixed with
a light Italian dressing and feta cheese...
Yummy!

First Bite, hot off the new grill!

BTW, this is typical NW male gear...
his Seattle Sea Hawk "t", his camo baseball
cap & a couple days worth of stubble!
Gotta love em'!

My Prius Has A First Name!

2009-08-17T14:06:00.000-07:00

My Prius has a first name, I named her
P E A R L! If I seem overly excited about
my car, there's a really good reason!

I've wanted a Toyota Prius every since I first
heard about this Hybrid with a gas engine
AND was also battery powered! A couple of years
ago, when my car (an 89 Chrys. Lebaron),
needed a transmission, I had to make
a decision whether or not to get a new
car, or put out a huge amount of money
and fix it...we opted to fix
the Lebaron. Lately, the Lebaron's
needed more work, and hasn't been
as dependable as it use to be. ACK...

Then two things happened...A Government
stimulus.'Cash for Clunkers'(which sadly I didn't qualify for, because when
my Lebaron was new, it got upward of 22 mpg.)!
But, there was another opportunity
that I could take part in.
Just for the month of July, there was 'NO SALES TAX'
on new cars!!! That was enough to peak my interest!
I started looking around and realized there weren't
any Prius' in the state of Wa., they had
to be ordered (possibly a two mo. wait).
Talking to a salesman from a Toyota dealership
nearby, I was told, if I was there the next
morning, that they'd find out if they were getting
more than the six that were ordered
on their incoming shipment...if so, it would be
first come first serve! Needless to say, I was there
before 7am. the next morning.#1 in line...
I forgot to mention I wanted a white Prius, but
I also knew that I'd have to pretty much take what was
coming in, if I wanted to take part in the tax credit!!!
I talked to a women who was third in line after me,
she also wanted a white one...we both realized even one
of us would be extremely lucky to get a white one!

These cars were not actually coming in, they
were earmarked for that dealership and the vin
#'s were going to be on the computer, and that's the
only way I'd be able to get one before the month
of July was up... and qualify for
the tax exemption, I'd have to have the
car in possession...or the very least...the
vin# of the car I'd be getting!!!

I found out there were three other Prius'
coming in with the six already on order,
and one was white...it was a model #5, which is
the top of the line with all the extra's. I'd
love one with all the bells & whistles, but truthfully
do I really need the fully loaded GPS system (when I can't
even figure out my cell phone)? I think not!
But, I said, YESSSSSSSSSS, I want it!
So, I was put on a list...

The next day, I was at my first jewelry show
and I got a call from my salesman saying he wanted to
ask me a question...My heart dropped...
He said some folks had ordered their Prius
two months ago,(this was there second one)
and when they came to pick it up
that morning, they found out that it didn't have
the back up camera like all the 2009's did...
It was a #3 model and only model's #4 & 5
of the 2010's have the back-up camera! His
question was...Did I want THAT ONE?? It was
there in the garage, no waiting for two months,
I could pick it up right now, if I wanted...OMG!
And did I mention it was WHITE model
#3!!! YESSSSSSSSSSS!!! I wanted it, "He
said, great!" (and put them on the
list for my model #5)! I just LOVE my
Toyota salesman!!! :) Thanks Jason!

When they opened the next morning, I was
there, and home with Pearl a couple of hours later!!!

The people that had ordered her, had her
Pearlized...How wonderful! So that's why my Prius
has a first name, I had to name
her Pearl, it seemed perfect for a person
that makes jewelry to have a car named
Pearl! This is my first new car and
probably my last car-------------> Because I'm all about
doing my part to reduce my carbon footprint!

Peace & love, Debbie~

Reduce! Reuse! Recycle!

I Hate To Admit to This Blond Moment!

2009-08-10T18:12:00.000-07:00

I really hate to admit this, but sadly I lost
your phone #! Please call me!!!

If You bought this delightful Jade Necklace from
me in Anacortes Wa., at Shipwrecked Days,
Please use the card I gave you and call me!!!

Here are your equally delightful
'Jade Earrings' to match your lovely OOAK necklace!

Beautiful Wedding Simply Elegant!

2009-08-02T14:05:00.001-07:00

casual outdoor summer wedding on a glorious day, with family & friends is a happy occasion to have and behold! Pure creative joy...on a budget!

My new daughter-in-law had a vision of how her wedding day would be, she, like so many young women, wanted it to be 'fairy-tale' like, in that she would have the beautiful gown and walk out surprising her husband to be, with her ravishing smile and in that very moment, be transformed into that wonderland of what dreams are made of! From that time in a young girls life of make believe and wondering who her prince would be, until this very moment when all her hopes, dreams and plans came together for this enchanting moment when they gazed into each others eyes, feeling a love like no other! I was there and saw this gaze, they held it for more than a moment and we could all feel it... the love and mutual respect this couple were feeling shined from within!

She had her 'Prince' and he his 'Princess', it hasn't always been an easy road to this enchanting day, but it will be one they'll both remember happily ever after!!!

As the Mom of the groom, I wasn't sure of my role, but knew I'd happily accept any job in making this day special for my kids. Once she told me her colors and I understood there wasn't going to be a lot of help, I decided that very moment that, HER DAY would be as special as I could make it! My son's only request, was for it to be the magical day that SHE envisioned, (which in turn, would make him a happy man). Knowing I could pull from all my experiences from years of arts of crafts, along with involving our wonderful family, I could easily with their help, make this a beautiful day to remember! So I began this journey into wedding planning on a budget with flair!

The plans started with the 'Bride to be' finding the perfect dress, veil and shoes, she was so excited, the dress was exactly how she had imagined it to be, simply elegant!

Next, knowing the 'Bride to be' wanted an outdoor wedding, we chose the perfect location for their 'Summer Wedding', our hometown park, with a beautiful gazebo with river rock and timbers, a perfect spot to be married in, with a wonderful 'reception hall' for their wedding party! Luckily it was available on their special day and we were able to rent it and reserve the gazebo, all for an affordable cost (and with careful cleanup, a refundable deposit)!

Just before Easter, at a large department store, I noticed beautiful light green dresses that would be perfect for the little flower girls, I bought 2 of each size(since I wasn't sure if they ran small, the store was okay with me returning a set) for Lulu (two years old) the couples daughter and her cousin Bella (also two)! Not only were the dresses the perfect color and style, they were also a bargain at half price! I also found a dress shirt, (also on sale) to match the green dresses, for Bella's brother Spencer, the 'Ring Bearer'! The 'Bride to Be' thought they were darling and the color was perfect!

I shopped for bargains when I could, always taking 40% off coupons to Joann's and Michaels whenever I needed ribbon or any craft items! I luckily was able to make many of the wedding extra's, that would have added up quickly and might have otherwise been cut out of the budget! It also helped, that I have time off work during the summer, so burning the midnight oil was okay, as my days and nights sometimes melded together, while I was engrossed in various projects that needed so much of my time!

I slowly started buying vintage glassware at my favorite thrift stores! I was able to find beautiful creamers, sugar bowls, candy and nut dishes that were perfect!

I asked the 'Grooms' Great Aunt if she'd make the wedding cake, (she'd basically retired from making them a couple of years before), she said, "With some help, she'd love too!" We were so excited, to have our Auntie do this for us! She told me how many cake mixes, pounds of butter, shortening and powdered sugar to buy! It was to be decorated with fresh flowers all white with a hint of natural greens! How wonderful!

The Minister was chosen and the couple was able to work with her, going over different ceremonies & wording, to came up with the perfect ceremony, just the way they wanted it!

The invitations were a wedding kit from Michaels, that the couple and I spent an afternoon putting together in their colors with the wording & font they'd chosen.

I designed their wedding programs in their colors of green and made them into fans to be used during the wedding. Using 1 sheet of card stock folded in half, with a painted paint stick for the handle, (just in case it was a very hot day)! What a fun wedding memento!

The 'chair/pew bows' ten sets of two, to go down each side of the isle, were so much fun to make! A little over 4 yards of white tulle made into bows, with long flowing ends, each with flowers, ribbons(assort. green), Czech beads & vintage pearls with fresh ivy added the day of the wedding! These took a few days to make, with yards and yards of tulle, but they were well worth the time, making the outdoor seating, all the more festive!

I ordered a lot of decorations from 'Oriental Trader', their prices are fantastic and they offer a catalog full of specialty wedding items, we ordered a beautiful wedding banner with the couples name on it, heart napkins with their names and wedding date, chocolate coins, packaged mints saying 'thanks for making our day special', lacy table coverings, special flowers with beads and ribbon to tie onto their napkins! Delivered quickly and all for such fabulous prices!

We were also having the rehearsal dinner at our home, I had decided to have an Italian theme, in keeping true to (part) of the Grooms heritage! I made the lasagna a few days ahead of time and froze it, also making a second huge pan for the wedding! We had awesome breads, Caesar salad, olive salad, olives stuffed with garlic, fresh fruit and an Italian dessert of Gelato. Now to share the really important part of this wedding story...We had lots of family help, and couldn't have done this by ourselves or if we had, it's true to say, it would not have been quite so wonderful and as smooth!!! Jerry's sis and brother in law, came early in the afternoon before the rehearsal dinner and dug in helping do what ever needed to be done and they worked non stop, even waiting on tables and busing, after our wonderful rehearsal dinner!!! Honestly this was a family affair and we're so grateful for their help, beyond what simple words can convey! They also came back early in the morning to start over again in helping us do, what ever they could for the wedding, (angels in disguise)!

Since I'd offered to do flowers for the wedding, my original plan was to go to our wonderful nearby 'Farmers Market', to find a grower that I could U-pick the flowers on the Wednesday before the wedding, but as I inquired with each and every flower vendor, I soon found out they do NOT have U-pick fields, but told me (like others) that in the nearby valley there was such a farm...They also told me if I wasn't able to pick them myself, that I would find them(all the vendors) at Seattle's Pike Place Market, any given day during the week!

After 2 1/2 hours of driving from one end of the valley to the other, I realized the only U-pick fields were Dalia's in August! So after a quick drive home to pick up Jerry, we were off and running to the city ...We were quite a sight with our six BRIGHT orange, 5 gallon buckets (we'd bought the night before at 'Home Depot')! During the tourist season 'Pike Place Market' is crowded like any other famous tourist destination and hard to maneuver oneself around, let alone carrying six (5gal.) buckets!!! We had a ball though, we went from vendor to vendor and pretty much bought up everything we could find in white...We met a florist from Indiana, amazed at what we were able to buy at the Market, for such fabulous prices! She said, "she couldn't find such wonderful deals at home"! All in all, we were ecstatic about our purchases and with full buckets in hand, we weaved in and out of the crowds and back the 3 blocks to our car and SLOWLY made our way back home, in rush hour traffic, with big smiles and beautiful flowers!!! We added two dozen white and two dozen green roses to our flower buckets from Costco!

My Aunt & Uncle brought over their small refrigerator for the finished flowers, and it proved to be a lifesaver...way better control, than the coolers I'd planned on using!

When it came time to start the flowers, I was a little worried about doing the wrist corsages for the 'Maid of Honor' and the 'Junior Brides Maid', I'd never made one before! The Groom had collected all the vases to be used for the arrangements and the Bride (to be) had chosen small river rocks to put into the bottoms of each vase for a natural look, that really did add to the simply elegant look of the beautiful fresh flowers! I loved doing them, each one was totally unique! The 8 boutonniere's were quick and fun, made with green roses with cedar sprigs, off our trees! I really enjoyed making the 5 corsages with pretty ribbons, Czech beads and vintage pearls! Then came the time for the wrist corsages, oddly enough, they ended up being the most fun, using vintage pearls, beautiful green ribbons, white roses with fresh babies breath and other small flowers, they were perfect! ...until the next morning (the day of the wedding) and the greenery I'd chosen was as limp as a wet noodle! I was so upset, I had so much left to do, I really didn't want to pull those apart, but I did and it all worked out just fine!

The tables were set with white table clothes with green cut out doilies under each vase of fresh flowers. A large wedding dinner napkin was placed at each place setting with the silverware in a neatly folded green napkin tied with white wedding beads, ribbons & posies on top! (put together by the Maid of Honor)! A very pretty goblet for the toast was added for the 'Sparkling Cider', a bargain from Costco! We'd decided not to serve alcohol, the price of the hall for the 'special' insurance policy, an added security person and additional cost of the alcohol itself, seemed too much, for a family oriented party!!!

The Bride made sweet memento's of mints, almonds, chocolates & bubbles, wrapped in a filigree heart with ribbon signed the Bride & Groom, wrapped in green tulle as a little gift!

We shared with family that it was a pot luck picnic, along with our lasagna, Caesar salad, rolls and garlic stuffed olives and lots of strawberry shortcake! Topped off with our Aunties delicious wedding cake, Thanks Auntie Sally!!! Yummy!

The actual wedding ceremony was truly beautiful, the wording they'd chosen was perfect, the flower girls were so adorable and took their jobs so serious, sprinkling their rose petals ever so carefully down the isle! The ring bearer was even more serious, standing so still, eyes forward, UNTIL...one of the flower girls kept on going, (his sister)right through the gazebo to the other side and right across the park to the ...yep you guessed it, the play area!!! Her Grandfather, my brother (an usher) was quickly on the task of recovering the run away flower child!!! :) I have to say, I loved it, it was a perfect 2 yo. get away and we have a beauty of a story to tell about her later on!!!

Here's a little peek into this couples special day, and by the way, the Bride said, it was PERFECT!!!

A 'Special Thank YOU to everyone that helped, it was because of Y'all that it was so wonderful, and special mention to Pat & David, for two days of never ending help, We Love YOU!!!

Come Play, Peace & Love's Match Game

2009-07-12T06:44:00.000-07:00

Come on down and be a contestant on the Peace & Love Match Game!! With an outta sight game board and dynomite prizes, all contestants are sure to have an awesome time!

The show begins on Sunday, July 12 and will go into syndication at midnight EST on Saturday, July 18.

Game Show Rules:

Simply match the product with the corresponding Peace & Love shop.

To view a zoomed in version of the game board, click on the second image above.

How It Works:

Each product has been given a number on the game board and it is your job as the contestant to match each product with one of the Peace & Love shops listed below. To make it interesting, each product photo has been cropped to show only a portion of the hip item.

Once you find the product in the shop, be sure to copy the product name exactly as it appears in the listing. Then submit the list of product names with the correct corresponding Peace & Love shops to me (BriefMoments) by midnight EST on Saturday, July 18.

The first 3 contestants to email Brief Moments the correct Match Game List will win one of our "fantastically funky prizeshttp://www.1000markets.com/forums/307/topics/5541":.

*Peace & Love Game Show Hosts*

"Abby Horowitz Designs": http://www.1000markets.com/users/abbyhorowitzdesigns

"Baubles Buttons Beads": http://www.1000markets.com/users/baublesbuttonsbeads

"Brief Moments"

Charming Trinkets

Dye Diana Dye

Ever so Dear

Jewel Fire Designs

Karen Casey Smith

Liberty Originals

Clan of the Mountain Dreamers

My Three Jewels

Susan Itkin Batik

A very special 'Thank You' to our game show host
Maribeth of Brief Moments

My Thirteen on 'The Fourth of July'!

2009-07-02T07:14:00.000-07:00

1)...My earliest memories of the 4th. were
playing with sparklers and watching our hometown
firework displays!

2)... I loved pic-nics with extended family!

3)...as a kid, I liked the stinky smell of fireworks!

4)...when I got older, I loved going to buy fireworks
at the stands at our local grocery store.

5)...later on, the reservation in our town started selling
fireworks, which changed our quiet towns 4th. of
July forever...

6)...We now have Boom City...no longer safe & sane!

7)...living across the freeway from this 4th. of
July hot spot, means LOUD BOOMS at
all hours of the night, during the time they start
selling til a few days after the fourth!

8)...I no longer like the smell of fireworks!
I have a hard time breathing when I'm around
them and traffic tie ups on the 4th. are horrendous,
we spend the day with family at our Aunt & Uncles
at the beach, sadly we have to deal with Boom City's
traffic to get there...UGH!

9)...Now for the really good things
about the 4th. We enjoy seeing family we don't see that
often, the babies are a year older and are amazing,
(two babies are due this month anytime)...it's a time
to catch up on every ones lives and share what's
new and we try not to notice we're getting a little
bit grayer...a time to renew family ties!

10)...Everyone brings such awesome food to share!
We eat pretty much when everyone gets there and
then graze throughout the day, nobody goes home
hungry!

11)...This year it means, it's exactly one week away
from the kids wedding!!! Exciting times!
(crunch time)!

12)...The highlight for many is Cousin Chris' firework
display, I hear he's handing it over to the older kids
this year...A right of passage?(Wow Chris, I'm
shocked) Chris' firework display is about the time
the city across the bay has theirs...(we always think
Chris' are better)!!! To avoid the fallout, we ran
behind the house last year and enjoyed a safer view!
What a show!!!

13)...One of my favorite parts about the 4th. is
getting home and knowing, everyone else got home SAFE & sane too! Checking on
our pooch, poor baby, he's deathly afraid of all
the loud noises!

Cousin Chris's Explosive Show (last year)!

My Peace & Love Friendship Bracelet!

2009-06-14T22:03:00.001-07:00

In April Mem & I decided it would be fun to have a Charm Swap! We opened it up to the Peace & Love Market and of course the theme just had to be 'Peace & Love'! We had a great turnout, with 9 of us taking part! Our deadline was June 1st. We all worked creating our charming charms, making sure they were kept under wraps, until the great reveal!

My mailman might have thought I had a crush on him, if he'd known how many times I checked the mail from mid May to June 1st., to see if I had packages from my charmers!

Receiving these little packages from my Peace & Love friends, was like getting Christmas presents in the mail during the Holidays! I reveled in opening each package, wondering what kind of surprises I'd be finding inside!!! I'd squeal with delight as I opened these beautiful bundles of Peace & Love!!!

So finally, after much anticipation, the long wait is over, the charms came from all around the US, making their way to WA. State in the Pacific Northwest. I divvied them up and sent them to their new homes! We're finally ready to show our special bracelets that we've made from a little help from our friends at Peace & Love!

One of our charmers said, she's going to wear hers for 'good luck', others have called them a friendship bracelets! We know they'll be cherished and we're looking forward to our next charming swap already being talked about, for the near future!

We'll link our 'Blogs' so everyone can enjoy the beautiful bracelets that each of us has lovingly made from the beautiful charms sent to us by our friends in our charm swap!!!

Wordless Wednesday~

2009-06-10T21:24:00.000-07:00

A Good Read THE LORAX by Dr. Seuss

2009-04-16T18:42:00.000-07:00

I read The Lorax for the first time this week, and it gave me goosebumps!

That Dr. Seuss was a sly one after all! He was so far ahead of his time by years, I'd say!

This story is based on a wonderful land of Seuss creativity, where colorful Truffula trees with large tufts of truffula are plentiful with wonderful yummy truffola berries hidden away inside! Where the Lorax lives with his beautiful trees, clean air and his many friends the Swomee-swans, the Brown Bar-ba-loots and the Humming fish!

But along comes a villainous Once-ler who decides to make Thneed's out of the beauiful truffola trees and starts chopping them down! The next thing you know he's bringing in relatives to work and decides to get BIG, BIGGER and BIGGEST until his factory smoke stacks, are filling the air with dark clouds of smog and pipeloads of oozy, drippy goopidy goop are polluting more than you can see!

That's all I'm going to share with you, please check this out or buy it for your home library, it's well worth it!

Discussion Questions
1) Why does the Lorax speak for the trees? Why is it important to speak up for others? Have you ever spoken up for someone else? Has someone else ever spoken up for you?

2) The Once-ler says, "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." What does the Once-ler mean? Can one person make a difference? Can you? What are some things you can do to better your own environment?

I had a lot of tips to share here for Earth Day, but after reading The Lorax, I decided I couldn't have said it better and if you were to read this with your children or grandchildren it could make a world of difference! Please visit Seussville, there is so much there to share with the kiddos in your life and quite honestly, I totally enjoy going there myself! :)

Happy Earth Day, Debbie~

Reduce! Reuse! Recycle!

Baubles Buttons & Beads

My Charms from Elenamary's Charm Swap Arrived!

2009-04-11T20:50:00.000-07:00

Here's my finished charm bracelet! This was so
much fun, I can hardly wait to do The Peace & Love
Charm Swap!

I happened upon a 1000 Market's Blog that
intrigued me, it was the very talented
Elenamary's beautiful Shop! She was organizing a Charm Swap and I jumped on it! I could
just imagine how incredibly wonderful the charms would be, considering, Elena was the host! Here's the Blog post I read!

There ended up being 11 of us participating in
this Flower Themed Charm swap and our deadline
was April 1st. Here are the charms I recieved!
The next time I blog it will be showing the
bracelet I made from these charming charms! I
want to thank Elena for hosting this event it
was my first 'charm swap' and
I loved it!

Meet Peace & Love's Scavenger Hunt Winner!

2009-04-10T17:46:00.001-07:00

Yes, the rumor is true…we have a winner! Congratulations Starry Home Crafts. Mary Ellen tirelessly traveled through our shops on the Peace & Love caravan and bravely sought out the sacred trivia!

Mary Ellen’s shop is filled with beautiful quilted treasures. She is currently working on a Charity Quilt for Chidamoyo Christian Hospital, and she is recording her progress in her blog. The quilt is beautiful, click on the link to go
check it out!

A big thank you goes out to all participating shops and all trivia hunters! The Trivia Scavenger Hunt was a fantastically fun success for all involved. We sold items, increased views, and made friends along the way. We will definitely have another one in the coming summer months.

And a huge thank you to Maribeth our Game Master!
She organized the whole game and her husband
Vinnie made the the fun graphic for us, we can't
say enough for all the hours of prep time and
how wonderful it all turned out, thanks again
Maribeth, the success of our game was all
because of 'YOU'!!!

A Huge 'Thank You' to one of our managers our
tireless Cheerleader Mem, of Mem's Pocket Palette,
she donated the beautiful 'Sacred Hearts outfit' and
matching jewelry set,(that she made) for the winner
of our Scavenger Hunt!!! She has one of the biggest
hearts and is always there to cheer all of us on!!!

Most of this post was from Maribeth's post at
the Peace & Love's Blog, I want to give credit
where credit is due! :)

Peace & Love Markets Trivia Scavenger Hunt Has Begun!

2009-04-04T21:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Our First Annual Peace & Love Trivia Scavenger Hunt!

We want you to access your inner flower child and go on a pilgrimage through our shops to seek out the answers to our sacred trivia. So jump on the Peace & Love Caravan and enjoy the ride!

The journey begins on April 5th and ends at midnight EST on April 12th.

The Rules of Your Trivia Journey:
Throughout the Peace & Love market, trivia questions & answers have been planted in shops for you to find and harvest. (Participating shops are listed at the end of this post.)

When you find our groovy graphic, read through the shop’s blog post to find the trivia question. Then somewhere in one of their product descriptions, you will find the answer. Be sure to take down the name of the shop and copy the trivia answer exactly how you see it in the product description.

Then, before leaving the shop, please comment on the shop’s wall referencing the hunt in some way.

The first pilgrim who emails me the list of shops with the correct corresponding answers will win a beautiful dress with matching jewelry, all lovingly made by Mem’s Pocket Palette.
The hunt ends officially at midnight EST on April 12th. I will be contacting the winner in the days following the hunt.

Our pilgrimage is open to everyone, so come join in on the fun and collect a little trivia along the way.

Shop Holders of the Sacred Trivia

Abbyhorowitzdesigns

Baubles Buttons Beads

BriefMoments

Dyedianadye

Jewel Fire Designs

JulieMagersSoulen

Libertyo

Memspocketpalette

StreetNoodles

A very special Thank you to Maribeth
of BriefMoments for all the hours upon hours
of hard work she's put into organizing this
fabulous Scavenger Hunt!!!

This beautiful graphic was illustrated by Maribeth's
(BriefMoments) husband Vinnie, we thank you from
the bottom of our hearts!

Peace & Love Trivia Scavenger Hunt

2009-03-26T22:08:00.000-07:00

Hi all! The Peace & Love Market is holding a Trivia Scavenger Hunt at the beginning of April. (We will posting the exact date soon.)

The hunt is open to everyone on 1km and we have some really hip & cool prizes for the winner.

Right now we are in the stage of seeking pilgrims for the hunt. Our trivia theme is “Music & Dance from the 60s & 70s” and all you would have to do as a pilgrim is go on a groovy journey through our market seeking the sacred trivia.

If you’re interested in being a pilgrim, just pop on by the "P & L forums" and sign up.

So come join us on our pilgrimage and access your inner flower child. It’s free, it’s fun, and it’s fabulously festive!

A special thank you to our Game Manager 'BriefMoments'
for all the work she's put into our Scavenger Hunt!
(and the use of this blog post too)! :) ty xo Debbie~

Inner Peace~

2009-03-05T05:46:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had something that you've saved because it was very special! Something you might not have laying around for the world to see, but have kept on a shelf not too far away? Something that you loved a lifetime ago, yet, you haven't thought about it, or even looked at it for a few years? But when you do accidently run across it, you get that same warm familiar feeling, like when you pull out that old pair of comfy leather sheep lined slippers each winter! Right? You know exactly what I'm saying! Something so familiar, maybe even a little worn, but the second you see it, you 'Flash Back' immediately to a time and place in your life, that was so special that it makes you smile the second you lay eyes on it! BAM! Memories come flooding back to you!

Mine was an old tie dyed t-shirt from the past, with bright beautiful colors! ...Sadly I lost it, I don't remember when it was gone, but I've never forgotten it. I loved it and wore it proudly, as if it were my personal signature, my colors!

Last year I found another t-shirt with beautiful colors tie dyed to perfection! Not my old familiar shirt, but beautiful just the same! A thrift store find, making it seem even better! I now look for these shirts, collecting them, giving them a new life by repurposing them into wearable art and usable bags, (which helps me reduce my carbon footprint a little by being a little more eco friendly)! I add lots of fringe, (my trademark as a kid, I just had to have it hanging off of me somewhere)!

I hold my memories near my heart, they're forever with me, be it a favorite song, Sky River Festival, (the Pacific NW's Woodstock), a road trip to SF, Concerts at the WWS College, falling hopelessly in love or holding my son for the very first time. My old tie dyed t-shirt was woven through magical years of my life!

The memory of my old shirt as I carry my tie dyed bag comes full circle, it still makes me smile and takes me to a place where my childhood days were behind me and yet the young adult I had become, was still searching for an inner 'Peace' as I fought for my own independence and dreams of a 'World of Peace & Love'!

I'm still dreaming of 'World Peace', but I do have an inner peace now, Jerry & my family, my job, (working with handicapped children), my friends and my creative energy have given me, which also brought me to 1000 Markets!

So in a world of turbulence, jobs lost, wars still being fought, our beloved 'Mother Earth' in crisis...I started thinking about my youth and how I actually arrived at this place, where I've found inner peace, with a world of unrest all around me!

In an odd way, it started reminding me of the 60's-70's and how we were strengthened by family values and how my parents worked hard for a better tomorrow...which brought me to a recurring idea of how happy I was back then and how I really loved that time in my life! There was so much going on, that 'WAS' good! I often day dream of what I carry with me from those days. I still listen to the fabulous music, (we now call it "Classic Rock"), I still wear jeans that were my daily uniform back then. We'd have 'Sit In's' and talk over problems and share our ideas, wants and dreams!!! (Truly a beautiful experience, for a kid fighting for independence). I grew up 'believing' that 'WE' could change the world and make it a better place!

This brings me to the here and now!!! When I first came to 1000 Markets it was still fairly new and had just a few Markets. I started thinking of all the different Markets that I imagined would be arriving and what a wonderful opportunity it was for all of us! I wondered where my place would be amongst the different Markets and how I would fit in! That's when it hit me...A place for me. A Market. That was not only a beautiful memory of mine, but would be a Market where other 'Hippies' from the day, would find their way and want to be a part of the 'Happening' too! Where this unique group of artisans could reminisce, share stories and feature their products, that are as beautiful and diverse as each of us are! So I am so genuinally happy to be telling 'YOU' that is how the beautiful Market of 'Peace & Love' was born!

Along the way, I met my sista's Mem & Sue! Our family continues to grow, we've adopted Lee, JJ, katy and a whole lotta family friends!!! We're a peace loving family, who listen to music together, share memories, tell stories and who've worked hard to open our Market doors, to the public! So come browse 'Peace & Love' Market you're guaranteed to have a 'Far Out' time shopping with the wide selection of 'Groovy products', our merchants have lovingly hand made for you! 'Peace Out' and enjoy your time at this wonderful 'Happening'!!!

xoxo Debbie~

http://BaublesButtonsBeads.1000Markets.com
www.peacelovemarket.com

peacelovemarket Feature Artist Mem of Mem's Pocket Palette!

2009-02-22T00:41:00.000-08:00

Mem's my first merchant up for my
'Artisan Series' in our NEW peacelovemarket!
Mem's Pocket Palette carries an array
of 60's-70's items and I love how her
shop is also an 'Eco Friendly Shop',
full of beautifully handcrafted and
repurposed products!!!

Mem is a huge part of 'Peace & Loves'
'Golden Team', as one of the Market
Managers, (and so much more)!!!
She's also the artisan, that made
Peace & Love's beautiful banner and
the fantastic product collection mini's.

Here's a few fun items I chose for
you to see, but please go visit
her shop, it really is loaded with a
wide variety of products!!!

This necklace is made with eight strands
of burnt umber orange seed beads and
closes with a wooden button.

This piece of teak is one that she found
that had a perfect light spot on it and
she was able to incorporate the peace
sign by wood burning it in.

She made this necklace from four strands of
Black Cord and added teak wood beads in
clusters and circle teak wood with silver
findings. Notice the peace sign?

I love this piece 'Altered Threads'! She
used teak wood and embraced the peace sign
with woven threads. Canvas art is done by
patch work and quilting.

There's something else about Mem
you must know, she has a best friend
with a 'NEW' shop here on
1000 Markets her name is Sophie and her
shop is 'Sophie's By Design' you
must go check her 'NEW' shop out, it's
delightful!!!

http://baublesbuttonsbeads.1000markets.com/
www.peacelovemarket.com
www.peacelovefanclub.com

A Little Promo Slide Show for my shop!

2009-02-15T16:33:00.000-08:00

Check this out!!!
A little Promo slide show for my shop
Baubles Buttons & Beads on 1000 Markets!

http://animoto.com/play/hgHolGtINytk9vCvxCAAzQ

ninedragons Castle is Finished!!!

2009-02-14T06:28:00.000-08:00

Wouldn't you love to visit this in
person?
Beautiful Sue, just beautiful!!!

Check out the Castle entry below
and see how it came 'Alive'!!!

Peace & Love is Live!!!!

2009-02-10T18:53:00.000-08:00

Mem of Memspocketpalette made this beautiful
banner for our market...I looove it!!!

Peace & Love ...a place to hang out!!!

2009-02-10T18:34:00.000-08:00

You're all invited to Peace & Love
in 1000 Markets, we went 'LIVE' last night and are soooooo excited, for you
to visit and let us know what you think!!!

Sue (ninedragons), Mem (MemsPocketPalette) and I(The Three Marketeers), are so excited and
want you to stop by the forum and let us know
what 'YOU' think!!! It's quite 'The Happening'!
If you remember the 60's & 70's :)
you'll love our market!
If you were too young to remember, I know you'll
find something you like there too...The products
are a beautiful array of what you'll remember
from the day, and so much more...You'll be
pleasantly dazzled, at what you find there...!!!
Hurry and get over there,(don't forget to leave
us a message in the forum and tell us what you
think)!!!

Castle Journey~

2009-02-04T21:44:00.000-08:00

Today I'm featuring ninedragons
beautiful 'Castle Painting', I love visiting
Sue's blog 'Art Ravings' to peek at her
beautiful castle painting as it comes
alive!
You too, will be amazed with the incredible
painting this artisan is working on!
We've been so honored to be kept in
the loop every step of the way with this
painting!
Today's update!

Trees are all blocked in!

She says it's the little things that count!

Furthest castle wall!

The start of the main castle!

Stage one!
Finished line drawing
Be sure and check out her shop!

Sue & I've had our heads together
with our friend Mem...(The Three
Marketeers)! Keep your ears & eyes
open for a 'Happening' 60's & 70's
style!

Peace & Love Debbie~

Silversmith and Jewelry Artist Beth Miller

2009-01-28T16:48:00.000-08:00

I want to introduce Beth Miller to you!
She lives in Marquette, Michigan and has
a fabulous shop on 1000 Markets, called
Beth Miller Silversmith & Jewelry Artist! Stop
by her shop and check out all the beautiful
items she has! She also does custom orders,
so, if you can't find something, but have an
idea, let Beth know and you may be able to
order it!!! Enjoy~

This beauty is called 'Moon Mountian Necklace'

Love these copper chick earrings!

She calls this 'Big Chick Pendant' pierced & cut
copper, very unique!

...and this, 'Dos Chirridos', beautiful copper
birds sitting in sterling silver hoop!

I've noticed Beth's beautiful
work for awhile on 1000 Markets, and
keep going back to see what she's up
too! I love her bird and leaf designs,
but all her work is beautiful!
This is only a small sample of Beth's
beautiful work, be sure to stop in her
shop and see all her fantastic jewelry!

HUNDREDS OF DOGS SEIZED in an animal cruelty investigation!!!

2009-01-25T16:25:00.000-08:00

SPOT
I know a lot of you, in our area are
well aware of the on going investigation
of the huge puppy mill operation.

A total of nearly 600 dogs have been seized
since Jan. 16 in Snohomish and Skagit counties.
Many of the animals were found living in
deplorable conditions, officials said.
The dogs didn't have sufficient food and
water and were covered with urine and feces.
(The Everett Herald)
Now the life saving task of how to take
care of all these dogs, from the actual
rescue, cleaning, feeding, medical
attention (some needed it ASAP)and
housing.

After seeing this horrible report on the
evening news, I also read about it in
The Everett Herald. I immediately thought of my two favorite shelters in our area!
SPOT ('Saving Pets One at a Time'),
is very near and dear to my heart,
(We adopted our dog through them)!!!

I checked out their website and sure
enough, they've been working with the
rescue and are asking for our help, please
go check it out, there are several ways
that we can help!
Their gratitude goes out, to the hundreds
of volunteers that have already stepped up,
and unselfishly offered their help!

My other favorite rescue shelter N.O.A.H. (Northwest Organization for Animal Help)!!!
(This is where we adopted our cat Elfie
from)!!! She too, was taken from a horrible
situation in our state, a few years ago.
I can't say enough for these rescue
organizations that go in and save these
animals!!! NOAH alone, took in 50 of these
dogs (did I mention, they're a'NO KILL'
Shelter)? Please check out
their website and see how you can help
with this horrible situation!!!

I've had this on my mind for sometime,
and because of this terrible situation,
I've decided to act now!...
I PLEDGE TO GIVE 10% OF EACH OF MY SALES,
FROM BAUBLES BUTTONS & BEADS, to SPOT!
I'm very excited about this and hope
others will do the same, for their
favorite charities!!! PLEASE TRY!

GUESS WHERE I WAS TODAY??!

2009-01-18T18:00:00.000-08:00

No Kidding!!! I'm dead serious, I went
to Shipwrecked Beads Warehouse today!
MR.BBB dropped me off,(he headed down
the road to the 'NEW' Cabelas Store), and I
had my first experience shopping at
'SHIPWRECK BEADS'! I have to say, it was a
fantastic experience and the time I had, breezed by like a 'Nano Second'!!! I pretty much had stars in
my eyes...It's pretty hard being what I
call myself...A CROW, in a place chock
full of beautiful, shiny, fauceted baubles
and beads every color, shape and size and
not find myself absolutely shell shocked!!!

~BEST FRIENDS~ It will warm your heart!!!

2009-01-17T08:40:00.000-08:00

I THINK WE CAN ALL LEARN A WONDERFUL LESSON HERE!

Handcrafted in SEATTLE Market

2009-01-08T21:01:00.000-08:00

My plan has been to feature an artisan
from 1000 Markets once a week, but with the holidays, being sick, the snow,
and going back to work! I wasn't
quite into blogging like I should've been,
which is okay, because I loved having Ellen's
'Streetnoodles'
beautiful birds here!!!
So I chose a Market, grabbed a few
of it's shops and urge you to go
visit the rest of it's fabulous
Merchants!!!
So of course, it had to be
Handcrafted in Seattle's Market!!! Here are some
of it's awesome Merchants!!!

anandi's laboratory

anandi's shop is full of fun items!
She makes ID tags for people, pets &
stuff, plus her nifty science themed
gifts and jewelry for the 'Geeks' in
your life!!! Check out her shop blog too!

SeattleSundries
SeattleSundries has beautiful soaps!
All of her soaps are made with natural olive,
palm and coconut oils and scented with pure
essential oils. There are no chemicals like
those used in many mass-produced commercial
soaps and “beauty bars”, so her soap will not
dry your skin or harm the earth.

Greenbelts
I Lovvre this beautiful leash!!!(Your
dog would be so envied at your
neighborhood doggie park)!!!

Greenbelts Is an
awesome recycler, this merchant recycles leather
from belts and upcycles them into wearable art!
You'll find these 'Ankle Corset Cuffs' in
this eco friendly shop!

ZebraLilly Shop
This fabulous pair of earrings
called 'Morrocan Nights' are a
sampling of what you'll find in
this Seattle artisans shop!

My Love of Vintage Repurposed Jewelry

2009-01-07T19:58:00.000-08:00

I love finding a vintage piece of
jewelry I can repurpose into a
beautiful, 'NEW', wearable art piece!
As I arrange each piece, it's as if
they're talking to me, coming together
into an exciting meld of new and old!

I made these Spaceneedle earrings for a Challenge
Etsy Rain hosted! I thought it would be fun to
repurpose the vintage sweater clips, into
earrings for this 'Seattle' Etsy group!!!

This is my newest Baubles Buttons & Beads
OOAK bracelet in my 1000 Markets Shop!

You All Know how I love Birds, Right!?!

2008-12-26T16:11:00.000-08:00

These beautiful Jewelry OOAK pieces
are from Streetnoodles. Ellen has a
beautiful shop, in 1000 Markets!
Please take a few minutes and check
it out! She has so much to look at.
Here are a few of my favorites, this is just
a small sample of what she has in her 'Bird
Series'
My Favorite! Partners Brooch
Brown Bird

Strawberry Bird's Dream

Bluebird Brooch

Ellen is also a very creative writer,
I love her blog on 1000 Markets!
You'll also find her blogging here!

Winter Feeding Birds~Our Little Wildlife Habitat!

2008-12-24T08:19:00.000-08:00

Our pond is totally covered over
with snow, so Mr.BBB puts water
out for the critters often (at
times it freezes quickly), he
does this whenever he's out
and about! The critters watch
for it, and appreciate it too!

Seconds after Mr.BBB starts walking
away from our feeding station, the
birds swoop in!

We buy volume at Costco, besides our
large bird population, of course
we have squirrels and our huge
resident racoon that dine here too!

Mr.'BBB' out clearing our winter bird feeding station!

A Prized Possesion of mine, 'reused' as a Christmas ornament!

2008-12-21T16:02:00.000-08:00

It lost it's mate years ago, but I realized
it was the last of something very special!
When my son was a young boy, my mom, his
Nana, made him several pairs of mittens!
Like all young boys, he played hard and
loved the snow days, like the kids today!
He'd come in dripping wet and we'd dry him
off and he'd want to go right back outside!
Luckily, he had several pairs of these mittens
his Nana had made him! As time went on, he'd
lose one or leave a pair behind somewhere and
finally we were down to this precious
'Onsie'!!! I recognized it's importance and
stored it away, until the next Christmas
and now it has a place of honor on our tree!!!

I've hung this mitten every year since my
son was a young boy, he's (34), and my mom's
been gone for over 15 years. 'Handmade',
has always been important to my family!
Notice the baker's clay, cowboy ornament
to the left of the mitten. My son made
that when he was in 2nd. grade (8).

THE ECO MALL, FOR EARTH FRIENDLY GADGETS!

2008-12-19T12:13:00.000-08:00

GREEN GADGETS FOR THE HOLIDAYS
If you plan to give someone a new gadget to replace an older model, consider recycling the old gadget as part of the gift. Many companies refurbish older electronic devices, salvage the usable parts, or recycle the toxic component. earth911

Eco Team Member, Lisa of Lilfishstudio, 'FEATURED SELLER' on Etsy!!!

2008-12-17T13:11:00.000-08:00

I love her work, but these little acorns are
my absolute favorites, adorable!!!

Lisa Jordan of lilfishstudio is
Etsy's Featured Seller!!!
Congratulations Lisa, it's a wonderful interview!
Please readers take a couple of minutes
and read about this creative artisan!
lilfishdesigns!!!

Congratulations on your big event,
soon to be happening!!! I was so
happy to see that those big brothers
are going to have a baby sister!!!
I'll bet 'pink' is a very welcomed
color to your family!!! How fun,
for all of you to spoil that little
girl with love!!!
(I also was the only girl and the 'Big' sister
to my 3 younger brothers! :)

Eco Friendly Shops (Part 5)

2008-12-15T06:26:00.000-08:00

DebbyAremDesigns

anniessweatshop

iWunder

1) Katie Kat, from LiLMonsters!

Okay you (almost) last minute shoppers!
Have I got an idea for 'YOU'!!!

We live in a world of buy it now, cheap,
who cares where it came from...Or do we?

I've had to rethink how I do things.
LIKE, what I want for my granddaughters...
First health, then happiness, and of course
I want them both! Haven't I always
wanted this for the girls...OF COURSE!!!
But now, I have to think of what
I buy, as something that could
potentionally make them sick? Are 'YOU'
kidding me? Why should I ever have
to worry about such a thing? I won't
get into the political aspects, or what
I think of 'OUR' huge companies jobsourcing
out to (China)oops, and other countries...

Nothings being sent to ---- or anywhere else,
it's "handmade" with 'Love'!!! :)
So please, dear readers, check out TeamEcoEtsyfor your gift list and the knowledge that what
your doing is helping an artisan as well as
the peace of mind buying an earth friendly gift!

Don't we want kid friendly, earth friendly gifts
that I don't have to worry about! This is
why I'm featuring my EcoEtsy Team!!!
They're all about being earth friendly, by reducing,
reusing, upcycling, repurposing and recycling!
Here are a few of my team members shops and
some awesome gift ideas!!! Enjoy~

1) This is one of Janes shop's! LiLMonsters!
This shop is full of darling one of a kind
little monsters, your lil darlings will
just love! Her items are made from recycled
materials and she gives 10% of her profits
go to support free arts programming for
inner-city children at Patchwork Central-
learn more at www.patchwork.org.
Jane also has a second shop it's having
a sale!!! She has awesome OOAK jewelry
there! It's called, LostAndFoundObjects2!

2) My next shop is called iWunder
I have always loved her beautiful
OOAK scarfs! She uses 'hand dyed yarns',
You'll have to hurry and order, she's
going away for Christmas! So hurry!

3)I love this anniessweatshop, she has the most
adorable pet items that could put your
dog on the "Who Who's" List! Her fleece
is derived from recycled plastic (PET).
Her shop was just featured by Inhabitat!
Check it out!!!

4) Wow, this shop is so unique!
DebbyAremDesigns If you have a
hard to buy for person on your list,
for lack of a better word...'Geek',
you must check this shop out!!! You'll
definetly find a fabulous unique gift!
She also has two other shops you'll
have to check out: ForeverInStyle, and EurekaEureka!

My Newest Treasury!

2008-12-14T13:57:00.000-08:00

As I was enjoying our first snowfall,
I happened upon Treasury West opening
and...SpArKlE "My Winter Wonderland", was created!

Proceeds of Promise~

2008-12-12T16:25:00.000-08:00

What Proceeds of Promise Is
The EcoEtsy team is dedicated to making a
difference in the world. From the handmade,
eco-friendly products we produce and the
eco-friendly packaging we ship in to the
tips and guides we publish on our blog,
www.ecoetsy.blogspot.com, we try to make
an impact through our businesses. For the
holiday season, members of the EcoEtsy team
are working together to make a difference by
donating 10% of all proceeds made on sales
starting December 7th and ending on December
14th to Heifer International. What we hope to
achieve is both the promotion of handmade,
eco-friendly goods and to support an
organization that is working to end hunger
around the world.

PLEASE PLEASE READ THIS! Help Save Handmade Toys in the USA from the CPSIA

2008-12-11T11:17:00.000-08:00

The United States Congress rightly recognized
that the Consumer Products Safety Commission
(CPSC) lacked the authority and staffing to
prevent dangerous toys from being imported
into the US. So, they passed the Consumer
Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) in
August, 2008. Among other things, the CPSIA
bans lead and phthalates in toys, mandates
third-party testing and certification for all
toys and requires toy makers to permanently
label each toy with a date and batch number.
Please dear readers, take a minute of your
busy schedule and read this, fill it out
and send it on its way!!!

Many of our dear craft and artisan friends
will not be able to continue making their
'quality earth friendly toys'!!! They will
not be able to afford the testing!!!!

PLEASE PLEASE READ THIS:
and find out how you can help, by writing your
congress person or senator. They have a sample
form for us to use.

Please share this blog post with others or
send them this post:
http://www.handmadetoyalliance.org/
Thanks, Debbie~

Eight Ways To Green Your Holidays!

2008-12-10T21:15:00.001-08:00

I love earth911, there are always so many wonderful
tips of earth friendly ideas to learn and 'USE'!

Some of these we've been sharing in our ecoteam
messages, but for some of you readers, there may
be a new tid bit of info you can gleen!
Enjoy~

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Green Tree!

2008-12-09T15:58:00.000-08:00

DO YOU HAVE A LIVE TREE, CUT TREE, OR A FAKE TREE?

I use to worry about cutting down a tree for
Christmas and then, I'd worry even more about
the length of time I kept it up!!!
It slowly lost needles and became dry as
the days went on, losing it's beautiful
aroma and increasingly becoming a fire hazard!

You see, I love Christmas and decorating has always
been a huge extravaganza at our house!!! My
birthday is the first of December, so as soon
as Thanksgiving passed, it was time to go up
in the attic and retrieve all the boxes
that have been collecting dust all
year, just waiting for this big event!

But first, out to the garden shed to get the big
box, that houses the 'tree'!!! Yes readers, I put
up a fake tree... When I bought
it, it was very beautiful and kinda pricey(the only
thing I disliked about it was 1.)the idea of it
being fake 2.) I have to spray it with pine scent!

I've always loved the fact that I'm 'reusing'my tree over and over, (even though I understand
that tree farming is a 'renewable'resourse).
When it came down to the decision of 'real
or fake' for my family tree, it was the worry
of a fire, that finally swayed my decision.
Yes, there has been a lot of guilt attached
to owning a fake tree. But it still stands
tall, goes up for my birthday and down New
Years weekend! Oh Christmas tree, I do love
thee!
So, now you know my dirty little secret.
I've lived with the guilt of a polyvinyl
artificial tree, and worse yet, what if I
did decide to get rid of it. Wouldn't it
be difficult to find a place to recycle it?
Absolutely!

So readers, I want to hear it...'Oh
Christmas Tree', beautiful tree, is
yours living or as fake as fake can be?

Eco Friendly Shops (Part 4)

2008-12-07T21:54:00.000-08:00

Great Shops with Eco Friendly items
to help make your Holidays shopping
experience,'Earth Friendly'!

'La Pomme'
'Lolaness Designs'
'ecogeneration'

Here's a sample of what you'll find in our
FaBuLoUsL EcO FrIeNdLy ShOpS!

1)ecogeneration's shop is full of eco
goodness! I luvver these beautiful repurposed
beaded napkin holder rings! They would be such
a pretty addition to any table, what a great
gift to give a friend! Rosey also has a fabulous
blog at: http://ecogeneration.blogspot.com

2) You can't go anywhere in ecoetsy land and not
see the beautiful art of this talented artisan!
Lolaness Design is full of the most beautiful
Graphics and Printing! Hmmm, that reminds
me,(note to self,order some business cards from her
shop, before I forget again!!!) Great shop to add
to your Christmas list,(maybe even for yourself)!!!

3)La Pomme's shop is so unique! I love her
little plushies(and her stories too)! Her colors
are bright and cheery however, sometimes she
chooses beautiful clean white on white!(I'm into
the cottage look, so I luvver her white/white)!
Who could resist this bunch of plushie flowers?
What a fabulous Christmas gift they'd make!!!

Brighter Planet, allocating offset shares!

2008-12-07T21:04:00.000-08:00

Brighter Planet has automatically dontated 136 pounds of offsets in my name because
of my past with their 350 Challenge!They're also offering it to 25 of my friends!
So of course the first people I thought of that
would enjoy this opportunity, was my ecoetsy teammates!
So, if you're interested read on and the first 25 of
you will recieve this too!

We'd love for you to help spread the word, so
we've allocated 25 One Day gifts for you to divvy
out. Paste your special link below into a blog
post, twitter, facebook, email, etc. Just be
sure to tell everyone that it's first come,
first serve.

Five 'NEW' Teamecoetsy shops Featured!

2008-12-01T05:51:00.000-08:00

Check out the new Eco Friendly Shops
in Part 3 of working towards a greener
holiday season!

Yeah! Teamecoetsy on the Front Page (Nov. 30th.)

2008-11-30T17:53:00.000-08:00

Eco Friendly Shops (Part 3)

2008-11-30T07:47:00.000-08:00

Blackstar's beautiful jewelry!

MiltonandMargies pumpkin pie soy wax candle!

East Coast Kitsch's darling tea cozy!

Custom order bag from Fisheye!

Liz Plummers beautiful Fantasy Garden!

Please remember it's okay to 'Reduce, Reuse &
Recycle during the holiday's! It's actually
accepted and become the "IN THING TO DO"!

My part of holiday 'Reducing & Reusing'! has
become such a fun quest(it's quickly
becoming one of my favorite hobbies).
I usually start my holiday shopping for
the kids in the summer and find fabulous
clothes and toys(and save $$$)to fill their
wish lists! My youngest granddaughter will
be two soon and I'll admit, I bought one new
item for her birthday, but other than that,
all from the 'thrifty's'. Even though,I'm very
choosy, not a problem, I start my hunt
early, it gives me plenty of time to find
awesome new and almost new items!
When I can't find what I need by recycling myself...
here's where I go to find it, you can get
everything you need and more from these artists!!!

Here are a few Eco Friendly Shops to
help you find fabulous gifts on your
lists that are "handmade" by eco
conscious folks!

1)Liz Plummer is a fantastic textile artist
that I've admired for awhile and I
think you'd make even the pickiest
person on your list, very happy with
a gift from her shop!!!

2)This shop has wonderful jewelry with
a nice selection that would make it
easy to fill a wish list for that
special someone! I've enjoyed Blackstar's
Flickr site and luvvre their cat!!!

3)Fisheye's another favorite shop I luvvre!
Great selection of eco friendly items that
she makes from recycled materials! Ask about
her custom bags!!!

4) Milton and Marge have awesome soy
wax candles that are in unique and
creative recycled holders, so darn
cute! I luvvre the pumpkin candle!

5)East Coast Kitsch 'Recycle and Upcycle' most of their shop items, along
with using natural fibers! (I just luvvre
their catchy 'kitschy' shop name)! Great
selections!

Please take a minute and check out these
wonderful eco shops!!!

Happy Thanksgiving from 'OUR' Home to 'YOURS'

2008-11-27T11:09:00.001-08:00

Eco Friendly Shops (Part 2)

2008-11-27T01:01:00.000-08:00

'Part two' of my eco friendly gift
ideas from some of teamecoetsy finest!

1) Here's shutterkate with this fabulous
gift idea! I can't imagine anyone not
loving this fabulous link scarf!

2) I love these greeting cards from mvegan5
with the polar bears, the colors are
beautiful and they're a great reminder
for us about global warming! FYI...
She donates 10% of her money to animal
charities!

3) With winter upon us here in the states,
a warm scarf would be an ideal gift for the
person on your list! Check out ASecondChance,
to see some of her other great items!

4)Luvvve this one too! Lavender soap, from
Cypress Lake Soaps. Great for sensitive skin!

I'll be posting some more of my favorites from
teamecoetsy in the next couple of weeks,
I hope you'll add some of these great shops
to your holiday lists!!!

Be Sure and Search TeamEcoEtsy for Awesome Eco Friendly Gifts! Check out these shops!

2008-11-25T22:47:00.000-08:00

My EcoEtsy team is a like minded group of people working
towards reducing their carbon footprint!
They have wonderful shops full of beautiful items
that would be an A*W*E*S*O*M*E eco friendly gift,
for that hard to buy for friend, or relative!
All you have to do is click on teamecoetsy to find fabulous
eco friendly gifts!!!

Here are a few of my favorites that you may want
to add to your shopping list!

DinnerTimeChimes has fabulous
outdoor chimes, but if you're looking for a reasonably
priced, fun gift for your favorite cook, this is adorable
and would hold his or her recipes! Love it!

Every household could use a set of these! Re-usable food bags from Kootsac !Fabulous gift idea, for the person who has almost everything, but not a set of these!

Or how about SeaFindDesigns
original jewelry made from beautiful genuine sea glass!
Who wouldn't like something from this beautiful shop?!

If my family is peeking, hint, hint...Isn't this a beauty?! mandinka features handbags made from mens suits...How cool is that!!! Fabulous designing!

These are just teasers!!!
I'll be sharing more eco goodness from teamecoetsy with you, in the next couple of weeks, in hopes of you finding the perfect eco friendly gifts to add to your list this year!

Have a Green Christmas this year!

2008-11-23T16:11:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to have a green Christmas,
save money, reduce my carbon footprint,
and have a more eco friendly and sustainable
holiday season!

Christmas Cards
I'm making my own cards, using recycled
paper when I can, next year I plan on
making my own paper.

Holiday meals
Remember for your holiday meals, shop locally
and buy what's in season!

Packaging and wrapping materials
Try and save boxes throughout the year to
reuse at Christmas. Use your imagination and be
creative! If you can't recycle paper there
are many places you can buy recycled paper
products! (it's less expensive if you save it).

Gifts
Lets face it, most of us give something
we'd either love ourselves, or if you're
like me, anguish over the perfect item for
that hard to buy for person in your life.

For me, there's only one way to shop, keeping a
'Green Christmas' in mind,(unless someone has
asked for a high tech gift), there
isn't a reason why a person, couldn't shop
early and find the perfect gift for everyone
on their list, from their local
thrift store! Seriously! The prices are great too!
I've dressed my granddaughters and for
that matter myself, except for undies,(for
which I prefer new), from our local Thrifty's!

Christmas is a wonderful time to start living green!
What does 'eco friendly' mean to YOU?
I understand 'buying green' or 'going green' mean
different things to each individual, I believe,
if each of us is making an effort,
even better, if we're doing all we can possibly
do as an individual, to reduce 'OUR OWN CARBON FOOTPRINT' , we're being eco friendly.
Some of us reduce, and therefore someone else
benefits from that, by reusing the
found items the other person decided to
give away. Some clever artsy people repurpose items
giving new life to an unwanted item for themselves,
or to sell. They may even make a living by doing this
and keep these repurposed/upcycled things out of
our monstrous landfills!
All of these 'eco conscious' ideas would
be wonderful to keep in mind this
holiday season.
So when you make your lists, look around
your home first, then check out your local
thrift stores or consignment shops, they're
full of new and almost new items 'YOU' would
love for the people on your list!

If each of us did a little more
to reduce our consumption, and reuse the things
we have just a little longer, and try and
repurpose what we can to make it do.
I believe we'd get more fullfilment
out of giving this holiday season!
The life lesson our children would learn from our
lead, about what the true spirit of Christmas really is,
and how we're working towards being better stewards
of this beautiful Earth, is truely the "BEST GIFT"
we can give them.

"Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, or do without"

I love 'POUNCE AGAIN!'

2008-11-17T20:11:00.000-08:00

...AND THIS IS WHAT POUNCE LOOKS LIKE...:)
It's ever changing and fun to see whats New or just Sold!

Christmas is fast upon us

2008-11-15T22:06:00.000-08:00

Here's a peek into my Christmas follie!

I've been inspired to make some holiday
bracelets. They're OOAK and full of whimsy,
with trinkets and baubles that I've been gathering.
I've also been having fun raiding my button boxes again!
This has been such a fun project, it's a little like being
on a treasure hunt!

I finally went to the infamous "All that Glitters Sale"

2008-11-15T19:58:00.000-08:00

The lines were across the front of the building
down the block onto the main street in front of
the GoodWill, and thats where we were standing! As
soon as the store opened, the line started moving
and we actually got to go inside the doors. We
then were told to follow the pink line to the
glitter room, which was at the back of the store.
They were only letting in so many people at a
time and the line was doubling up and another
line started across the store from us...:(
But, we made the best of it. We had fun
talking to people in line (A shout out to
Karen from Msvl), I've already had a
convo on etsy from someone I met there!
Luckily someone fed up with lines and
the long wait from inside the Glitter
room, came out and gave us her number!
#162...so when we were finally lucky
enough to get in the door, we found
out they were all the way up too #50.
We weren't allowed to ask to look at
anything, until our # was called and
really, the glass cases with the jewelry
we wanted to see, were crowded with wall
to wall people.

After what seemed to be a lifetime.
You know how it is not quite being
able to reach the golden ring?!?!
Our # was called and we were then told we
had to wait....(again)for the next available
helper. That person would stay with us from
showcase to showcase until we were done...
What a job...So, we met our gal Alice and
we so appreciated her, she was so
helpful, cheerful and such a hard worker!
Thanks Alice!!! She works for the education
part of Goodwill and we know how awesome
they are with "Our kiddos"!!!(I work with
kids in a lifeskills class,that go into her
program when they reach high school)!
We found the prices to be high, no doubt
because "THEY CAN" get it.
We did purchase a few things, but we did
well and didn't get too caught up in the
Hoopla of "All things Glitz & Glam! But, the
experience was unforgetable.

All That GliTTers Sale

2008-11-14T20:20:00.001-08:00

I'm going to the widely advertised
'All That Glitters' Sale tomorrow morning
at the Seattle Goodwill!!!
It'll be my first time to this
huge sale and I'm more than excited!
A friend from work went last year and
invited me. I tried to be strong and
resist, but to no avail...I'M
GOING and THATS THAT!!!She's told me
it's fabulous, I can hardly wait!
I'll blog tomorrow after the show,
and share with you, what I couldn't
possibly live without!

~At a Glance, Admit it...Your sweet tooth reacted!!! GIVING IT UP... FOR A GIVEAWAY!

2008-11-10T22:46:00.000-08:00

To find out more about this
F*A*N*T*A*S*T*I*C Polymer Clay
artist, Check out her fabulous
Blog!!!

PLEASE READ POST BELOW

Beatblack touch of 'CaNdY HeAvEn'

2008-11-10T21:55:00.000-08:00

There I was minding my own business
checking out my Flickr contacts...
and what catches my eYe, but the
most delicious batch of chocolates!
TrUfFlEs no less. Then,
to my astonishment, I find out,
they're 'EyE CaNdY'! I now
have the will power of a petite size 3
(dream on girlfriend!) I find myself
pressing on...I want to see more,
I must see more, now that I'm not
tempted in the ways of ChOcOlAtEs PoWeRs.
As I am PoWeRlEss!
Only to find more delectible EyE CaNdY!
Now I'm totally hooked -----read-on----->
Again, I feel helpless, totally
captivated by BrIgHt RaInBoW-Y
CaNdIeS tWiStInG mY thoughts back
to childhood dreams of my
favorite Christmas Eve Story.
Where I too, dreamed of the
beloved "ViSiOnS Of SuGaRplUms"
as they danced around in my sleepy
head!

But really, you must go see for
yourself! But first,you must allow the
child in you to take a peek
into this WoNdErLaNd Of EyE CaNdY! Enjoy~

The Shadow Knows~

2008-11-07T19:55:00.000-08:00

I've known from the get go, that pictures
are pretty much the cornerstone of ones
online business. If it's a good product,
but the pictures remind would be customers
of an old black and white Bella Lugosi
movie...It aint' happenin!

So I believe it's time to invest in some
good lighting equipment for my jewelry!

I haven't even looked at what's out there,
so, I don't even have a clue as to which
is the best way to go, or most cost
effective?!

Any input would be greatly appreciated!
I think I'll hit the threads for this
one.

I bought this necklace to deconstruct and upcycle it's rhinestones into something 'New and Fabulous', BUT...

2008-11-07T19:45:00.000-08:00

It's so beautiful, as of yet, I haven't had
the heart to take it apart!

This Bracelet is listed in my Etsy Shop

2008-10-29T20:46:00.000-07:00

I love using my vintage finds in jewelry!

REMEMBER TO BID! BID! BID!

2008-10-24T22:12:00.000-07:00

I made this for my Etsy shop, but can't quite give it up!~Vintage Repurpose~

2008-10-23T14:59:00.000-07:00

Have you ever made something or bought something
for someone else, and loved it sooo much, that
you decided to keep it for yourself??? Come on
be honest! I've been told by friends they've
done just that, bought a gift they've kept for
themselves. I've bought gifts for people that
I would have loved to have kept before.
So that brings me to why I asked this question!
I've wanted a pink bracelet for some time now.
I started making a bracelet for my shop,(oh I
forgot to mention it's pink), When it became
clear that this bracelet was going to be staying
right here with 'ME'!
Please share your story with me on what 'YOU'VE'
kept!

Teamecoetsy's Auctioning a Basket of eco-treasures!

2008-10-18T18:34:00.000-07:00

The EcoEtsy team has come together to donate a basket of Eco-minded goodies to be auctioned off for the benefit of the Nature Conservancy. This auction is entirely a non-profit event, created by the members of EcoEtsy (www.ecoetsy.com) in order to promote handmade, eco-friendly goods and to support a worthy organization.
About the Auction
The benefit auction started preparations in the spring of 2008, and each participant that donated to the auction basket were required to follow a set of rules for their items:
- Every item is Eco-related in some way. These include repurposed, recycled, up-cycled, and eco-friendly products.- Every item is handmade.- Every item includes a small card that describes the item and how it relates to eco-practices.
More than 60 individual items are contained in this beautiful, eco-friendly auction basket, handcrafted by people who care about nature and our environment. The total of all donations is valued at more than $300 retail.
Auction Details
Donation photographs will be available beginning October 20, the first day of the auction. These photographs can be accessed by viewing the album at http://ecoetsyauction.myphotoalbum.com
Auction Start Date: October 20th, 2008Auction End Date: October 30th, 2008
This auction is open to US residents only. This is to prevent any legal issues as well as prevent shipping issues that may arise due to regulations that other countries have.
Bidding: Bids may be placed on the auction basket by emailing promo@ecoetsy.com with your bid amount. Updates will be announced regularly on this page as well as the EcoEtsy blog (http://ecoetsy.blogspot.com/) with the highest bidding amount.
Please note that the monies raised will also be used to ship the donation basket to the winner.
The highest bid placed by 9 PM MST (-7 GMT) will be awarded. The auction basket will be shipped within one week of bid payment receipt and payment details will be sent to the winner after the auction via email.
Auction for a Cause Promotion
Eco Etsy team members and any other person wanting to help contribute to the promotion of this benefit auction will find graphics (beginning October 4) at the Eco Etsy promo page that can be used in forum threads, blog posts, personal blogs and websites, MySpace bulletins, Flicker pools, etc. Even if you have not donated to the basket, you can still help the team promote for the cause.
About EcoEtsy
Eco Etsy is a group of like-minded people who are coming together to spread the word about reducing, reusing, and recycling. We concentrate on educating other Etsyians to be more aware of the waste we create when packaging our items, and therefore offer tips and tricks to help other members create a greener way of life in their shops and in their personal lives. EcoEtsy is open to all Etsy sellers who want to waste less in the process of creating, selling, packaging and shipping, and to encourage buyers to do their part as well. Please feel free to learn more about EcoEtsy and the products we create, the tips we produce, and the efforts we are involved in by visiting the following websites:
Eco Etsy Website: www.ecoetsy.comEco Etsy Blog: www.ecoetsy.blogspot.comStreet Team Page: http://team.etsy.com/profilest/eco.shtml
About The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy's mission is to preserve the plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. To learn more about The Nature Conservancy, please visit www.nature.org
Since their founding in 1951:- They've protected more than 117 million acres of land and 5,000 miles of rivers worldwide in operating more than 100 marine conservation projects globally.They work in all 50 states and more than 30 countries in protecting habitats from grasslands to coral reefs, from Australia to Alaska to Zambia.They address threats to conservation involving climate change, fire, fresh water, forests, invasive species, and marine ecosystems.

Wordless Wednesday~

2008-10-14T22:59:00.001-07:00

~Simply Bubbles~

2008-10-14T22:56:00.000-07:00

Amber Teapot & Maurice teapot!

2008-10-11T23:24:00.000-07:00

2008-10-11T23:22:00.001-07:00

Some things are just too cute not mention!

2008-10-11T23:19:00.000-07:00

I ran across this darling Etsy Shop and had to share!!!
It made me smile, and wanting one, for my garden!!!

http://coffee-pot-people.blogspot.com/

I Finally Did it!!!

2008-09-19T21:23:00.000-07:00

I decided to DO what I've wanted to do for YEARS!!!
Please go check out my shop and let me know what YOU
think!!! I know I need better lighting and definetly a new
banner. I'll fix those soon. Please leave a comment!!!

Button, Button, who's got the Button?

2008-09-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

As you can tell, I do love buttons...I'm going to

be using them in my jewelry with other items

I've been collecting over the years!!! I'm

truely in my element!!!

New Adventure!

2008-08-19T22:52:00.000-07:00

I'm getting ready to embark into a knew
direction for myself!

I've reminded myself of a crow at times,
collecting stuff... always intrigued by bright
shiny items, one of a kinders...unique buttons,
and at times simply plain! I've made lots of
fun things with these items, dolls, whimsies,
but mostly I've just saved for someday!

...and, someday finally has come!

I'm going to start making jewelry with found
objects that mean something to 'ME', and I
know that they will to others too!!! I'll still
be reusing (upcycling, recycling), which makes
me feel good about myself and creating...
which makes me happy!!! I'll still get to
enjoy the hunt which with my antiques
has always intriqued me and been a big
part of the fun!

I'm very busy at this time with a huge
antique/garage sale, and start back to
work soon. So after things get back
to a normal routine for me, I'm going
to jump in and have some fun with my
new creative adventure!!!

I'm going to soon be closing my etsy shop
and will be under 'construction' for a short
time!

Upcycled Bag from a t-shirt for Karen!

2008-08-08T10:55:00.000-07:00

My friend Karen and her husband Ron have Cabaret Kennel

and raise these darling dogs, check out their Web site...

'a new litter of pups have arrived'!

My First Bracelet Wrap!

2008-08-08T10:49:00.000-07:00

This was on my to do/learn list for the summer!!!
I like how it turned out, except for the clasp, but
It'll only get better with practice!!

Hopefully this is 'OUR' future~ Please Watch~

2008-08-06T11:23:00.000-07:00

My First Time on the Front Page!

2008-07-31T08:30:00.000-07:00

My pyrex cards on the bottom left corner!

This is how Etsy began...Founder/CEO Robert Kalin

2008-07-22T23:33:00.001-07:00

Pat's got a "Brand New Upcycled Bag"

2008-07-22T13:29:00.000-07:00

Pat designed what she wanted on her own bag. You can too!!! Just convo me!

Revamped my bag style~

2008-07-22T13:27:00.000-07:00

I curated this treasury West! I love the colors!

2008-07-22T00:20:00.000-07:00

Love each of these items featured, beautiful earth colors!

Today's The Big Day for The Scrappiest Scrapbook Challenge!!!

2008-07-14T10:06:00.000-07:00

Wow, Sewphisticate has me featured today
in her blog!!! I'm so glad I accepted her incredible
challenge!!! It was so much fun to be a part of this.
The mini scrapbook was delightful to work
on, and knowing it was made out of 'ONE' piece of
paper, by the art of Origami was even more incredibly
special! I hope what I chose and did to this little
mini scrapbook, lived up to Sewhisticate's
expectiations!!!

I encourage everyone to go take a peek
daily to see each and every mini
scrapbook that's featured, the next few
weeks! You may get bitten by the mini bug
and want to try one of your own!!!

I loved chatting with so many of you
during this challenge, I'll be reading
about each and every one of "YOU",
and enjoying each of your beautiful
mini scrapbooks!!!

Thank's again Sewphisticate for
doing this wonderful challenge!!!

Special People of Etsy~

2008-07-05T23:51:00.000-07:00

I joined a thread last night, and met
a very helpful Etsy person!!! She
helped me do something I was unsure
and really worried about doing myself.
Actually this wonderful person not
only helped me, she did it!!! A huge
"SHOUT OUT" to JeweledAmbrosia
for helping me in so many ways!!!
Then she taught me how to use
new functions in my blog, which
was huge, but the #1 Biggie, is
that she is my 'FIRST SALE'.
How do you thank a person like this?!?!
I know I'll always remember her
friendliness, willingness to help, and
in such a short time I also can say,
THANK YOU FRIEND~

Please go visit her shops,
Jeweled Ambrosia is gorgeous
Jewelry~little Lovables
is her other shop, full of
clothing and fantastic toys!

I accepted Sewphisticate's Challenge!

2008-07-02T17:26:00.000-07:00

Etsy's Sewphisticate, asked people in
a thread, if they'd like to accept a
challenge to "The Scrappiest Scrapper
Contest", We all would have the same
materials to begin with.

Sew, sent each of us a "mini Origami
scrapbook", she'd made, in an adorable
matching box! We were told we could do
anything we wanted to them. When we're
done, she asked us to take pictures just
like we'd be listing the mini to sell,
and send them to her! Then she'll set
up her blog with questions for us, and
feature all our mini's on it!!!

She told us the size, and believe me,
that teeny-tiny-itsy-bitsy mini (2"x1.5"),
scrapbook was quite the challenge to me!
I wasn't able to use my first two idea's
because the mini was too small, but I
quickly came up with an idea and went
for it!!! I finished last night and sent
Sew the pictures.

My mini's up, and linked to flickr, go
take a peek, the whole book is there. Go
check out Sew's blog. It'll be a blast to see
everyone's creation! I want to mention
there were 20 of us, that accepted Sew's
challenge, and she made each one of us
these adorable little scrapbooks with
matching boxes & a fantastic envelope.

One thing I wanted to share, is that she
uses only "ONE" piece of paper to make the
mini scrapbook, everything she'd made
was origami, Sew phisticate & creative!

Wordless Wednesday~ :)

2008-07-02T17:23:00.000-07:00

My Treasury! Magic from teamecoetsy...

2008-06-28T11:16:00.001-07:00

BaublesButtonsBeads

Echo, ECHO, Echoooooooooooo...Just Empty Walls...

Be My Valentine, all found at Victorian Crossroad's Market

Idea's for Your Valentine!

Visit me at Cottage Hann~Me~Downs

Big Changes for me in Blog Land! (please note address change) thx.

Happy New Year, from my little corner of the world, near the Emerald City!

My Village People

Where Oh Where has the time gone, Christmas has almost come & gone!

How to WIN a Holiday Giveaway Package!

What Girl Doesn't Want a little CHARM, for Christmas?

...and the Winner Is!

Peace & Love's Benefit Auction for 'A Place to Bark'!

I Won This Delicious Jam!

A Little Girls Button Lesson From the 40's!

My Colorful kitschy Collectables!

My Cottage Look!

An Open Letter to My Pets!

Good Bye Summer, Hello FALL! Follow Me to OUR Farmers Market, Where I Always Have A Ball!

Do you ever Daydream what it would be like to own your own little Cottage? I do!

Does ANYONE do this? I get into one of my CrEaTiVe MoOdS....and the next thing I know, SiDeTrAcKeD! UGH....

Victorian Crossroads Market Open's it's Doors, for YOUR buying Pleasure!

Mama got a New Car so Papa got a New Set of Wheels!

My Prius Has A First Name!

I Hate To Admit to This Blond Moment!

Beautiful Wedding Simply Elegant!

Come Play, Peace & Love's Match Game

My Thirteen on 'The Fourth of July'!

My Peace & Love Friendship Bracelet!

Wordless Wednesday~

A Good Read THE LORAX by Dr. Seuss

My Charms from Elenamary's Charm Swap Arrived!

Meet Peace & Love's Scavenger Hunt Winner!

Peace & Love Markets Trivia Scavenger Hunt Has Begun!

Peace & Love Trivia Scavenger Hunt

Inner Peace~

peacelovemarket Feature Artist Mem of Mem's Pocket Palette!

A Little Promo Slide Show for my shop!

ninedragons Castle is Finished!!!

Peace & Love is Live!!!!

Peace & Love ...a place to hang out!!!

Castle Journey~

Silversmith and Jewelry Artist Beth Miller

HUNDREDS OF DOGS SEIZED in an animal cruelty investigation!!!

GUESS WHERE I WAS TODAY??!

~BEST FRIENDS~ It will warm your heart!!!

Handcrafted in SEATTLE Market

My Love of Vintage Repurposed Jewelry

You All Know how I love Birds, Right!?!

Winter Feeding Birds~Our Little Wildlife Habitat!

A Prized Possesion of mine, 'reused' as a Christmas ornament!

THE ECO MALL, FOR EARTH FRIENDLY GADGETS!

Eco Team Member, Lisa of Lilfishstudio, 'FEATURED SELLER' on Etsy!!!

Eco Friendly Shops (Part 5)

My Newest Treasury!

Proceeds of Promise~

PLEASE PLEASE READ THIS! Help Save Handmade Toys in the USA from the CPSIA

Eight Ways To Green Your Holidays!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Green Tree!

Eco Friendly Shops (Part 4)

Brighter Planet, allocating offset shares!

Five 'NEW' Teamecoetsy shops Featured!

Yeah! Teamecoetsy on the Front Page (Nov. 30th.)

Eco Friendly Shops (Part 3)

Happy Thanksgiving from 'OUR' Home to 'YOURS'

Eco Friendly Shops (Part 2)

Be Sure and Search TeamEcoEtsy for Awesome Eco Friendly Gifts! Check out these shops!

Have a Green Christmas this year!

I love 'POUNCE AGAIN!'

Christmas is fast upon us

I finally went to the infamous "All that Glitters Sale"

~~All That GliTTers Sale~~

~At a Glance, Admit it...Your sweet tooth reacted!!! GIVING IT UP... FOR A GIVEAWAY!

Beatblack touch of 'CaNdY HeAvEn'

The Shadow Knows~

I bought this necklace to deconstruct and upcycle it's rhinestones into something 'New and Fabulous', BUT...

This Bracelet is listed in my Etsy Shop

REMEMBER TO BID! BID! BID!

I made this for my Etsy shop, but can't quite give it up!~Vintage Repurpose~

Teamecoetsy's Auctioning a Basket of eco-treasures!

All That GliTTers Sale