EclecticSkeptic's Seventh Etsyversary

EclecticSkeptic has come a long way from an Etsy shop devoted to flying pigs that started out with photographic art images on bookmarks and note cards. I soon expanded into flying pig jewelry. Later I decided to incorporate my love of math and science into new items for the shop. When I created a custom order for a musician friend it made sense for me to add music geekery items as well. And then I thought the flying pigs might enjoy some other fanciful flying friends so I added mythology creations in the form of flying horses and dragons.

Monday, August 1, 2017 will mark my seventh anniversary of opening EclecticSkeptic on Etsy. To celebrate my Etsyversary I am offering a sale during the first week of August. If you are already subscribed to my newsletter you saw the details on how to participate in this the sale in the July newsletter. If you sign up for the newsletter before the sale is over, I will forward a copy to you of the July newsletter containing the pertinent information.

The image at the top of this post shows my original banner for my shop. The image below shows my new shop cover giving you a visual impression of how far my creations have come since those first few, fun flying pig goodies.

Hot, Dry Season Garden Beauties

Do your flowers fade when the days get hot and the rains recede? I have two low water suggestions for you that take the heat and keep on blooming to help you bridge the floral gap between spring and fall during a hot, dry summer.

Frogfruit is native in the southern half of the United States. It is adaptable to a wide range of conditions. If you don't want it to overrun your garden however, I suggest that you don't add ANY supplemental watering once it is established. Lots of small butterflies and bees are attracted to its diminutive flowers. You can see flower clusters of varying ages in the photo. The longer a flower cluster blooms the taller its base becomes as new flowers are added to the top of the older faded ones. Frogfruit is evergreen to deciduous depending on your winters. Mine is usually deciduous because its leaves are frost sensitive. It makes a nice ground cover and will survive and give you some interest in narrow, hot beds adjacent to pavement where many things will not thrive.

Do you need something that makes more of a statement than a ground cover? Hummingbird bush might be just the thing for you. It does not begin to flower until the temps match the multitude of fiery reddish orange flowers that cover this shrub much of the summer. As the common name implies, hummingbirds love this plant as a nectar source, so you might want to plant one where you can enjoy the show from inside your air conditioned home. More info on this deciduous shrub can be found in my Texas Stars facebook photo album.

Design This - Matching Earrings for Aqua Necklace

Will someone want earrings with this necklace? I often ask myself this question when designing new pieces. Sometimes I make matching earrings and someone just wants the earrings or the necklace. I normally will split a set I have made but the customer will lose out on the discount I usually factor into the price of a set. Often I don't make matching earrings and occasionally someone will ask about their availability. I think custom orders for necklaces or jewelry sets will be the only time I will get the answer to that question right 100% of the time because I get to ask my customer beforehand.

I was at a show earlier this year where someone fell in love with one of my necklaces. She said she really loved the colors I had used. The next thing she said was to ask if I had matching earrings. I told her I was not positive whether I still had any of the beads left I had used in the necklace. Luckily she wanted the necklace either way but I could tell she really hoped to be able to get fairly short dangling matching earrings too.

I took her contact info and shortly after the show I was able to go through my stock and see what I could come up with. Luckily I still had a couple of the small dark aqua beads that I had used in the necklace as well as some of the dark AB coated spacer beads. I also had some smaller faceted gold beads that I thought would be better suited for the size earrings requested than the gold bicones I had used in the necklace. I had not asked if my customer preferred posts or French style ear wires so I sent a mock up photo with both choices for her to look at. After sending the photo, she asked that I phone her because she felt more comfortable nailing down the details that way. She wound up picking the French ear wires. After receiving her payment I popped the matching earrings in the mail and was pleased to find an email a few days later from her letting me know she had received her new earrings and that they were just as she had envisioned.

If you see some of my jewelry sets and only want one component or fall in love with a necklace that does not have matching earrings, feel free to ask if I can split a set or make a matching pair of earrings, depending on your needs.

Thanks for the Treasuries - June 2016

Two Etsy shop owners let me know they had featured one or more of my items in a treasury during June. Five June Etsy treasuries, that treasury makers let me know about, included one of my creations. You can see a collage below of my items from EDCCollective and EclecticSkeptic that were featured during June. (Click on the collage to see a larger view.)

I really appreciate being featured by the treasury makers. To thank them, I have listed below a link to the Etsy sellers that let me know they had featured one or more of my items, as well as an item from their shop that I like.

Enjoy window shopping and please click on the links to the shops whose item catches your eye.

HotDogCrafts
This shop owner turns graphics into button dangle earrings, hair clips, keychains and more.

IsabellasWhimsy
Handcrafted quilted items make cheerful gifts full of homemade goodness and care.

Have a Fabulous 4th of July!

Family, fireworks, food and fun are some of the things that come to mind when I think of the 4th of July. It is such a wonderful thing to be able to kick back and enjoy all of those things on the anniversary of this nation that got its start with the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776. If you are looking for some red, white and blue to show your patriotism during this holiday, Eclectic Design Choices can help. The collage below contains images of a variety of in stock and previously sold handmade and vintage accessories.

If your holiday fun takes you out of doors, remember to apply sunscreen and bug spray as needed and to stay hydrated. Have fun and stay safe at your parties, parades and other patriotic events.

Urban Sky Glow Obliterates the Milky Way for Many

Calling out light pollution in a post has been on my mind for a while. A recent article on Phys.org gave me the little push that I needed. You see, my mom was affectionately called Susan Kay of the Milky Way by family and friends, so it really hit me and made me sad to think that the Milky Way is currently hidden from one third of the earth's population. I used to be able to see it where I currently live but not so much now. It is beautiful and awe inspiring and everyone should be able to take in the beauty of our galactic neighborhood. An amazing example the effects of what many consider to be standard outdoor lighting can be found here (scroll down to the before and after picture).

Back in college I used to help give astronomy point outs to students in a local park, until some apartments were built and you could no longer see all of the stars that the students were required to learn as part of their course due to the added light pollution. Once upon a time a full moon was the biggest bane when trying to see meteors during a meteor shower. Fast forward a decade or two and research began showing that urban light pollution was disruptive to its human and nonhuman occupants. Several groups started to tout the benefits of dark skies such as Dark Skies Awareness and the International Dark-Sky Association.

Two of the biggest reasons for lighting the night is to facilitate moving from point A to point B and to increase security. The funny thing though is that over lighting actually decreases the ability to safely navigate and is detrimental to security. To quote Dark Skies Awareness, "Our eyes, when dark-adapted, have good natural capacity in lowlight situations. But when nightscapes are over-lit, eyes never have a chance to become dark-adapted, and areas adjacent to brightly lit areas become impenetrable, reducing safety. Some communities have experienced a decrease in crime by reducing or eliminating nighttime lighting in appropriate areas."

You can make a difference in your life and the lives of the people and critters that live around you. Lighting that is shielded so it falls only where needed or turned off when not needed is within your control on your property. For a wider influence, educate the public, especially public officials so that commercial developments are required to install dark sky friendly lighting, so that street lamps are properly shielded and citizens are taught the benefits of dark skies. You might just sleep better and feel better when the light trespass in your home goes down. Don't let the mythical flying pig be the only creature to see the stars in the future.

Update: June 10, 2016 artificial sky brightness atlas image with key.

National Week of Making - June 17-23, 2016

What a nice thing, to have the Etsy Craft Party weekend fall within the National Week of Making. The DFW Artisans Etsy team along with local artisans teamed up with Sparks Studio in Downtown Arlington to create a craft party for the DFW area. We hosted guests from as far away as Plano. Two crafts, yarn flowers and origami butterflies, along with snacks and drinks were enjoyed by the guests and craft instructors alike. Lots of making was undertaken by all.

Sparks Studio offers classes in jewelry making, painting and more so that you can continue learning new making techniques. The studio was a wonderful backdrop for the craft party. Thanks go to the local artisans and makers who donated their time and materials to make the craft party a success; Cynthia (seen below with one of the yarn flowers in her hair that she made) and LeAnne from ClayBabies, Cathy from Eclectic Design Choices (moi), Van from VanArtLife and Ellen with the fabulous polymer clay creations.

So what exactly does National Week of Making celebrate? According to the Presidential Proclamation, "Since our earliest days, makers, artists, and inventors have driven our economy and transformed how we live by taking risks, collaborating, and drawing on their talents and imaginations to make our Nation more dynamic and interconnected. During National Week of Making, we recommit to sparking the creative confidence of all Americans and to giving them the skills, mentors, and resources they need to harness their passion and tackle some of our planet's greatest challenges."

We all have some amount of creative talent. Some of us use it for relaxation, some bring it to bear in our jobs and others have yet to discover our true creative talents. What is yours and what will you do with it? Etsy encourages everyone to get in touch with their creative talents and maker selves through their annual craft party. Etsy is also working to "support the maker movement and expand resources available for creative entrepreneurs and young makers." Young or old, as a hobby or your vocation, take some time during this National Week of Making to expand your creative side.