VOTE for my Handmade Unique Pendant...thanx

My sparkling Polar Bear Pendant is in a handmade craft contest and I need votes......please

pretty please?

Vote here on the Florida EtsyStreet Team blog. I've got some tough competition with all the FESTettes that entered!

Photos Still Getting Better

Just when I think I've "got it" ........... I learn something "new' again another day.
I have a $100 Sure Shot camera (Ashton Kutcher reccomends them) with a macro setting and I love it because I have no patience or time to learn how to use a SLR camera. I can get great crystal clear close ups of my handmade jewelry and especially the charms.

I always add more light to any picture - even when they are taken in gorgeous Florida daylight.
but sometimes after I add the light and tone down the shadows -I have washed out some of the color.
NO MORE MY FRIENDS!

I use Picasa to upload my pictures and edit them. Now if I see the color has dimmed a bit I apply "auto adjust color" and MAN they POP again!!!!


............................BEFORE:

..........................AFTER:

..................BEFORE:

.....................................AFTER:

Me so Happy!

Don't miss my DECEMBER GIVEAWAY ! It just got a photo color face lift too!

TooSmall

Why is my new hideout so small?

Butterfly Pendant Giveaway!

This month my giveaway is hosted on the FEST blog. FEST is the Florida Etsy Street Team. This is a group of Florida based crafters who chat and support each other in many ways and gloat - this time of year-to all the northerners about our weather LOL!

I'm managing their blog too and I've been dubbed the Blog Queen over there (blush). There are several other Queens there who manage the membership, email, yahoo group, contests and interviews. Running an active etsy team takes a village - of Queens. Luckily there are no Queen Bees. It's the nicest friendliest group of women I've ever been party too. I love it!

Any way .....my "Zesty Butterfly" domino pendant is the FEST December giveaway!

Don't comment here to enter. Go to the FEST blog.

Blood Red A Nurse's Decor Fav

I just love this fabric! I think it's the contrast of the soft colored flowers against the blood red background. The combo just grabs my eyes attention and I just keep enjoying the colors. I've always had a passion for reds. Flowers, clothes, decor, and even my hair is reddish brown. Occasionally I dye it an auburn or deep (slutty- he calls it) red to my husbands dismay!

Once I made a dark plum burgundy dye job boo- boo and my girlfriends called me Eggplant Head for a few months. There is no way to lighten or remove home dye jobs. I TRIED!

So this is my new pretty favorite in my shop. "Flirtatious Floral"

Don't miss the SIX shop FEST BOGO sale this weekend over where I have become the Blog Queen among many other Queens of handmade arts and crafts. Freebies and 50% off items!

Christmas Cat Comedy

Do your pets help you decorate? Mr. Miagi loves to get in the middle of everything! I love it. Just when I'm overwhelmed, he reminds me to relax and just enjoy "the moment" by giving him some love and listening to him purr....

I had another Siamese many years ago who ate tinsel,...repeatedly.

Never saw her take it in but it was quite the event coming out. It caused the poops to connect like a string of pearls, only she couldn't finish.

So she would come running through the house "trailing" the poo-poo garland,...totally freaked out. One of us would step on it as she ran by and "Meoooooow!" she would holler!

Sunset at Mallory Square

Do I have a blog?

I completely forgot about it recently with going to the Keyes for four days, making a bunch of pendants and becoming the "Blog Queen" of the FEST blog.

So enjoy my sunset at Key WEST and tomorrow I'll be posting another givaway!

Drum Roll Please.......

And the winner is...............

"ArtsyCharmed&Quirky"

My new shop name that will encompass all future fun crafts and keep my established silly name. I had to keep the "Quirky" after all the advice I received to do so. I am not opening a new shop. It seems lots of people do this and it works. All the promo work is with direct links, so it shouldn't matter (?) Wish me luck I have a ton of changes to make.

The Name Game

I needed a laugh and I love this site, LOLcatz

Still angst-ing over a new shop name and I may just use a new name in the same shop - it seems to be done by many a shop - even some in the top 100. The latest favorites and I may keep "quirky" after all.

Artsy, Charmed & Quirky

A CharmApalooza Cache

All So Charmed & Quirky

You'd think It was my actual personal name the way I'm fussing over this decision.

Again - what do YOU think?

I've heard I should keep the "quirky" name since its established and unusual and remember able (?)

An Old Dog Can Learn New Tricks!

So I've been giving the FEST (Florida Etsy Street Team) blog a make over and It really needed the 3 columns to spread out all the info nicely. So I put out a call to the group and "no takers" - I'm impatient mind you. I wanted it done NOW so I can get that blog looking better!

I went and studied the blogger help forum and OMG the 7 different tutorials were frightening. Long, complicated and the comments following them were basically:

1 What do you mean "SAVE" - I already deleted it!

2 That code is not on my page.
AND
3 My blog is now missing, where is it?

I gave up even thinking I could try this. What if I lost the blog? I'd have to move out of Florida and change my name to hide from auntifranni and ElleBelle.

The next day I thought - I do not want to pay someone to do this basic task. I want this done today. I can learn this, I think.

I went to the etsy forum and searched and I'll be damned if there wasn't an etsy lady, ChristieCottage, who knew a Simple way to do it.

I read the directions 8 times.......... S-L-O-W-L-Y. It sounded easy and clear. I had a beer and then another and then I called my best friend in North Carolina. to make sure her guest house was vacant. My gas tank was full and I had 14 days of my meds.( very important to an old gal like me).

So I "saved" the old blog, transferred the widgets, deleted the format ( scariest part ), copied and pasted the new format, clicked save, closed my eyes & said a prayer and .....

Voila! The blog screen said "cannot save html because %$#@#$%$%...or something like that." S _ _ _! I thought about the long drive to North Carolina.

I decided to try it again and the second time - IT WORKED!

Just like my marriage!

So here's the link for all you brave bloggers who are too cheap (like me) to pay some one to do this

Change to a 3 column blog