CPSIA

Consumer Protection Safety Improvement Act, has good intentions. But it will shut down ALL handmade toy and clothing makers. You can read more about it here:

http://handmadetoyalliance.org/

And you can purchase a button here: http://hasenpfeffer.etsy.com/.

Here's a pic of the button:

I'm off to buy mine now....

Snow in Tucson

Yes!, it snowed the other morning. There's lots of snow in the mountains - I'll post pics of that too. But I was so excited, I ran outside and tried to get pics of the snow falling. Pathetic, I know.

:0)

If you look really closely, you might be able to see white flakes falling.

I read other blogs, and I am JEALOUS of your snow. Today it is going up to the high 60's, 70??

Crazy.

More shops to visit!

These shops are REALLY worth checking out - please visit!!!!! Thanks!!!

www.glitterstarz.com
www.Juliafinucane.etsy.com
www.monkeyheaven.etsy.com
www.winniel.etsy.com
www.kraftykrew.etsy.com

New Rag Dolls in my shop!

I had made these for the last craft fair - which was amazing! It was off of 4th avenue, which is to Tucson what South Street is to Philadelphia - which is probably Greek to many, but anyway....


there are 3 that did not sell, so they are now in my Woolies shop - I know it's after the holidays, but I'm hoping somebody will find them and love them. Especially if they have to be taken down after the new CPSA regulations go into effect in February....


Here they are:

this is Tawny....

And here is Perry....

And this is Patches, who is wild.

Hope you love them!

Merry Christmas!

Wanted to wish everybody a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, and a joyous holiday season.

Much going on in the past few months has prevented me from posting in my blog as much as I like to - hopefully life will settle down a bit now.

I'm envious of the snow in many parts of the country - here in Tucson it rained most of the day, and is cold and windy. We've had a fire going in the fireplace since this morning, keeping us toasty.

My 16 year old and I just went for a drive after dinner - just to see some Christmas lights and get out of the house for a bit. I always enjoy these quiet times with my almost grown up son.

I hope you all are enjoying time with your families! And I hope Santa was good to you!

Check 'em out!!!

www.bluetricycle.etsy.com

www.pearlsquiltedcrafts.etsy.com

www.npsunshine.etsy.com

www.bythewayside.etsy.com

some FABULOUS shops I've discovered recently!!!

consumer product safety improvement act

Have you heard about the new law that is going into effect February 10th? It may possibly put my shop, and many others like mine, right out of business forever.

Please spread the word :

http://www.zrecommends.com/detail/five-steps-you-can-take-to-save-natural-and-handmade-companies/

Thank you.

Natural Pod Toy Store

I love making animals and dolls, WAY more than my day-job (uh oh, don't tell anybody). I've been fortunate enough to discover some new outlets for wholesale-ing my Woolies.



Here's a new one I'd like to tell you about - it's called Natural Pod. I love their website, it is clean and simple and uncluttered.

They sell the kinds of toys and children's things that I love - wonderful for open-ended play and discovery.

I've made some teddies - just for them. And some horses too - cause who doesn't love horses???



Well, don't look at my crummy - too-dark pics - go visit Natural Pod!!!

Animals on the Move!

One of the reasons that my Woolies shop is rather empty this holiday season, is because I have been working like a crazy person on wholesale orders.

These bunnies are on their way to Tree Hollow Toys.

And these guys are just finished, hot off the presses (sort of), on their way to Mildred and Dildred. A brick and mortar store in Tucson, at the La Encatada shopping center. Very upscale, and beautiful. Pricey. So I am hoping that they sell like crazy there; wouldn't that be wonderful??

They really are so much fun to make. Each one has their own personality.

If you ever see something that YOU might want, please just contact me, leave me a note here - I'd be happy to recreate that Woolie animal!!!

I'm Excited

I have an appointment this afternoon with a REALLY upscale toy store. She is interested in carrying my plush dolls AND my scrabble tile pendants.

Keep fingers crossed for me???

UPDATE: YAY! She gave me an order for 4 dolls and 7 scrabble tile pendants. (why 7?) I told her I would deliver them on Friday & she wrote me a check. NOW I have to keep fingers crossed that they sell well there!
:0)

More Awesome Shops to Visit!

If you're looking for some wonderful holiday gifts - please stop by these shops!!


www.eviestoolemporium.etsy.com
www.foofooandmore.etsy.com

www.WhimsicalStar.etsy.com
www.housewifecollection.etsy.com
www.lynniebbags.etsy.com

www.vixenware.etsy.com
www.doreenbatesart.etsy.com

Random.org

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:3
Timestamp: 2008-11-25 13:55:35 UTC

I love this website - here are the results of my latest contest. SO glad I don't have to do it the old-fashioned way - by writing all the names and putting it into a hat!

thanks to everybody who enters my contests - about to post another one, so stay tuned!

Awesome shops to visit!

www.glitterstar.etsy.com awesome items, including duct tape jewelry!
www.cthings.etsy.com ahhh, jewelry!
www.kayzkreationz.etsy.com glasswork and more!
www.strangechild.etsy.com dragon sculptures!
www.lunarrastar.etsy.com really beautiful/unique jewelry!
www.jenniferladd.etsy.com handmade purses and baby items




www.neatostuff.com and also visit neatostuff - a blog for great gift ideas!

Dolly Giveaway!

One of my favorite things in the whole world is dolls. I love dollies of all kinds, shapes, sizes. I think this might be because I was a terrible tomboy when I was a child, and didn't play with dolls very much. It also might be because I have 2 boys (now teenagers), and they never wanted to play with dolls, so my doll-playing has been very limited. Now that I'm OLD, all I want is dolls.



Here's one that is so gentle and sweet....


This Wee Jersey Girl is made from a super-soft newborn onesie upcycled into a doll. She is stuffed with clean wool and has a very plain face--in fact, she has no facial features at all. She's a perfect toy for a newborn as a baby gift, for a one-year-old as a birthday gift, or to stick into a new kindergartner's backpack as a lovely during rest time. She is about 8" tall (not counting her floppy hat).
And she could be YOURS!

Her designer is Faerie Rebecca. There's other dolls in her shop, that I dare not post pictures of here for fear of falling too much in love with them. I encourage you to visit her shop - in fact, if you want to enter this giveaway, you will have to!

So - here are the rules:
1. Visit FAERIEREBECCA'S SHOP. !While you are there, pick your favorite thing from her shop.

2. Come back here to my blog, and leave a comment with your favorite item.

3. Your name will be entered TWICE if you blog about this contest. Please come back and leave a comment with a link to your blog entry.
It could be on your blog or a friends' blog....just somewhere else!

4. PLEASE NOTE: Your email address MUST be present in your comment, or in your blogger profile. If not, you will have to be disqualified. Lots of times, just because you are registered with blogger, does not mean I have access to your information.

5. Contest will end one week from today, November 24th, at 12 midnight.
Thank you for playing!!

WE HAVE A WINNER! Random.org chose #3! Thanks to all who entered!! Happy Thanksgiving!

Stop back soon for more awesome giveaways!

Buster and boo giveaway!

Want to win a pair of earrings that I made? (I'm just learning to wire wrap, but I'm pretty proud of these).

Head on over to Creative Momma!

Feature!

Hi - I have some great Etsy shops that I'd love for everybody to stop by and visit!


Zeba Jewelry!

Renewed Resources tons of cool stuff (I'm buying the fiber beads)

Shupg Accessories, too cute

Littlepinkplum pocket mirrors, pendants - gotta see

moodygurl aromatherapy play doh among other awesome things!

greencard greeting cards! (love the shop name)

craftpudding I kind of want everything in this shop - you must visit.

Please stop by!!

GIVEAWAY!!!

Wow. Such georgeous work, so pure and natural. Makes sense that this artist's shop name is Natural Star. !

Natural Star has offered your very own custom made beanie for this giveaway! Know somebody having a baby? Want one for your own baby? or grandchild? Or niece or nephew? Pick your colors! Wow - what a great offer!

Feast your eyes:

Now for the rules:

1. Visit Natural Star!While you are there, pick your favorite thing from her shop.

2. Come back here to my blog, and leave a comment with your favorite item.

3. Your name will be entered TWICE if you blog about this contest. Please come back and leave a comment with a link to your blog entry.

It could be on your blog or a friends' blog....just somewhere else!

4. MORE perks! If, just maybe, you feel like purchasing anything from either of my shops during the time of this contest, and mention this contest by saying NATURAL STAR in comments to seller at checkout, you will receive a 10% discount.My shops are: Woolies and Buster and boo. Purchasing anything does not get you more entries in this contest, just makes me happy. :0)

5. PLEASE NOTE: Your email address MUST be present in your comment, or in your blogger profile. If not, you will have to be disqualified. Lots of times, just because you are registered with blogger, does not mean I have access to your information.

6. Contest will end one week from today, November 19th, at 12 midnight.

Thank you for playing!!

Earring Giveaway!

Head on over to Thrifty and Chic Mom!

Enter for you chance to win a pair of Buster and boo earrings!

Mommie Daze

There's a Buster and boo giveaway going on!

You can win your choice of a pink or a blue bunny scrabble tile pendant!

Where, you may ask??

Mommie Daze!

Go on over to Mommie Daze for your chance to enter. Contest ends November 5th, so hurry up!

Earrings!

Yep, I did it. I started making earrings and actually plucking up the courage to list them on Etsy.

Just wanted to share here - and welcome any constructive criticism. !

Feel free to come visit my shop; Buster and boo !!! I'll be listing many more in the weeks to come.

Next weekend, I have a big 3 day craft fair in Tucson - the Flair-A-Fair. It benefits Big Brothers/Big Sisters. I'm making tons of earrings and scrabble tile pendants. Keeping my fingers crossed.......

XXXX

Stay tuned to my blog, because next week I'm going to be doing a giveaway of a pair of earrings!

Natural Kids Store!!!

If you're a reader of my blog, you'll know that I'm a member of the Etsy Natural Kids Team. (In fact, I'm one of the co-leaders).

Our team is made up of 90 Etsy shops; and we all make items for children using natural materials. Wool, cotton, wood. There are doll-makers, and needle-felters, and wood-carvers, and knitters (Woolies!). There are some of THE most talented artisans on Etsy, in my humble opinion.

So, some of us have decided that we need to advertise OFF Etsy. So we've started an advertising collective. This is what I do in my 'day-job', so this is a natural for me (no pun intended)!.

The problem with advertising on-line, is - you have to have a place to link your ad to. How do you link your ad to numerous different shops? You can't.

Well.......we found a way. !!! Please visit Natural Kids Store.com. It is a gateway to all of the wonderful shops that are participating in these ads. Rebecca, who owns faerierebecca, and makes georgeous fabulous dolls, designed the website. (with her husband).

Please come visit! I would love to hear what you think!

Thanks again to Rebecca and Dave!!!

Political Signs

Are the roads in your area covered (littered) with political signs? VOTE NO for Proposition 203! (what IS Proposition 203?) McCain/Palin....George Bee (who is he anyway).... etc etc etc

To me they are just like littering.

My high school sophomore, politically involved, son agrees. So do his friends.

SO.................woke up Sunday morning to this:

His friends went a little crazy in our yard.

I've never laughed so hard!!

Praying Mantis

Whenever I see these amazing bugs, I stop and look. I want to pick them up and play with them. They are cooler than cool.

I found this guy just hanging on my house - in a nice shady spot on a really warm afternoon. He wasn't in any hurry to go anywhere, and he let me take some pictures of him.

This guy was BIG! and very friendly.

Handmade Showcase Giveaway!

I'm giving away a bunny necklace! You have a choice of a pink one or a blue one!

Stop by Handmade Showcase for your chance to win!

Random Acts of Kindness

Sometimes my faith in humanity is restored. I stumbled on a post in the forums on Etsy just now - that a blogger was offering free advertising on her blog for one week to 14 shops. I emailed her my ad - and she put it up!

Please visit her blog - http://kzmface.blogspot.com/ and also visit her Etsy shop http://facialcareboutique.etsy.com/ - looks quite awesome!!

Thank you!!!

Winner is chosen!

We have a winner for the MayBeads contest - it is ardy22!

Thanks to all who entered - stop by often to check out the next giveaway!

Morning Nap in the Sunshine

It got chilly last night; for the first time since April. The air is cool and breezy, and the sun feels warm.

Here's a couple animals that just had to doze in the sun......

This is Belle, our mustang. She could hardly keep her eyes open.

And this is Dozer, our quarter horse. I rarely see him snoozing like this. A few minutes later he rolled, and then got up and shook off the dust:

Want to come riding??

Almost at 200 sales!

Buster and boo, my pendant shop, is almost at 200 sales!

Whoever is the buyer of my 200th item, will WIN - what???

What shall I offer? Free Pendants? Free Necklace? - hey what about free sterling silver necklace? That's about an $8.50 value....

What do you think??

Giveaway!

Check out this adorable shop - MayBeads! She makes lampwork beads, so so cute!!! I have the utmost admiration for this art, maybe because I have no idea how they do it!! Anyway, MayBeads has offered a necklace for this weeks' giveaway!

In the artists' words:

Talk about a must-have accessory for young girls and the tween set -- the stretchy necklace is it! I have taken the stretchy necklace and "made it my own," so to speak. Instead of manufactured charms, these choker-style necklaces feature handmade lampwork beads. Each bead is created one by one, by me, and no two beads are exactly the same. Penguins are one of my favorite animals to make out of glass, and this little guy, who is wire wrapped with a decorative seed bead, seems happy to hang out on this black stretchy cord that is easy to put on and take off. The penguin is black, with a white belly, teal googly eyes and an orange beak and feet. The necklace will come in an organza bag for gift-giving. I recommend these necklaces for children starting at age 3. Please be careful with these around little ones -- they could pose a choking hazard for small children. For more of my stretchy necklaces, please take a look at my Etsy shop, at http://www.maybeads.etsy.com/.

Now for the rules:

1. Visit MayBeads. While you are there, pick your favorite thing from her shop.
2. Come back here to my blog, and leave a comment with your favorite item.
3. Your name will be entered TWICE if you blog about this contest. Please come back and leave a comment with a link to your blog entry. It could be on your blog or a friends' blog....just somewhere else!
4. MORE perks! If, just maybe, you feel like purchasing anything from either of my shops during the time of this contest, and mention this contest by saying MAYBEADS in comments to seller at checkout, you will receive a 10% discount.
My shops are: Woolies and Buster and boo. Purchasing anything does not get you more entries in this contest, just makes me happy. :0)
5. PLEASE NOTE: You MUST leave a way for me to reach you. If not, you will have to be disqualified. Lots of times, just because you are registered with blogger, does not mean I have access to your information.
6. Contest will end one week from today, October 13, at 12 midnight.

Thank you for playing!!

Winner!

Chosen by Random.org, Francine -entry #111 - is the winner of the earring giveaway.
congratulations!

Horned Lizard

also known as a horny toad. Anyway, my husband found him in one of the horse stalls. I wonder if he is hatched from an egg? underground? I know nothing about these miniature dinosaurs.

this one is a baby.

testing out new picture software.....

AHH, Jewelry Giveaway!

Want to win TWO pairs of georgeous earrings??

What better way to brighten your day than with a georgeous pair of earrings?? My weakness...and yes one day I'll be making my own jewelry...maybe.....

Check out this shop! ~~~ Bower of Bliss ~~~~ the most beautiful jewelry! And she is offering these !!! You could win BOTH pairs of earrings! See below for contest rules.

Sweetest sunset earrings-
Peach moonstone and madagascar rose quartz briolettes blend together for a
bright and striking effect.
Length- 2" from the earwire.
Value - $32.00

Tree Sprites
Genuine green onyx briolette beads dangle from sterling silver chain to
make a pair of earrings with lots of movement in this seasons hottest
color.
Length- 1.5" from the earwire.
Value - $21.00

So - how to play?? Please read ALL of the rules carefully. Thanks!

1. Visit Bower of Bliss. While you are there, pick your favorite thing from her shop.

2. Come back here to my blog, and leave a comment with your favorite item.

3. Your name will be entered TWICE if you blog about this contest. Please come back and leave a comment with a link to your blog entry. It could be on your blog or a friends' blog....just somewhere else!

4. MORE perks! If, just maybe, you feel like purchasing anything from either of my shops during the time of this contest, and mention this contest by saying BOWER OF BLISS in comments to seller at checkout, you will receive a 10% discount.

My shops are: Woolies and Buster and boo. Purchasing anything does not get you more entries in this contest, just makes me happy. :0)

5. PLEASE NOTE: You MUST leave a way for me to reach you. If not, you will have to be disqualified. Lots of times, just because you are registered with blogger, does not mean I have access to your information.

6. Contest will end one week from today, October 3rd, at 12 midnight.

Thank you for playing!!

Yearning for the ocean...

It's not wordless Wednesday anymore, but I'm pretending it is cause I didn't get to this earlier in the week. I'm yearning for more of the ocean....

Here's some more pics of our trip to San Diego.