Happy Holidays 2014

Dreaming About Your Spring Garden

If your mailbox is anything like mine, you have received catalog after catalog of possible gift items over the last couple of months. Right after the first of the year however, that will change over to seed/garden catalogs. Full of beautiful pictures, these catalogs help gardeners cope with the winter blues as they pour over the pictures and descriptions to see what they want to add to their flower or vegetable gardens in the coming spring season.

For those of you in the lower latitudes in the U.S., don't dream too long though. Early spring vegetable seeds can start to be planted in some areas by the end of January. Transplants of warmer season vegetables or flowers that shouldn't be planted until after the last freeze need to be started indoors six to eight weeks before the average last freeze date. For many north Texas gardeners, that means getting your seeds started indoors by the end of January too.

So when those lovely seed catalogs full of tempting new varieties or old staples show up in your mailbox, instead of curling up with a good book on a cold, gray winter's day, grab a note pad and pencil along with those lovely catalogs and page through them and decide what you want to give space to in your 2015 garden. Seeds are an affordable option for "test driving" new plant varieties in your garden. (If you don't currently receive any seed catalogs, you can do an online search for "garden catalogs" and look at them online or request some to be sent to you.)

Thanks for the Treasuries - November 2014

Three Etsy shop owners and one Etsy team let me know that they had featured one or more of my items in treasuries during November. Three November Etsy treasuries, that treasury makers let me know about, included one of my creations and one treasury featured one item from each of my shops. You can see a collage below of my items from EDCCollective and EclecticSkeptic that were featured during November. (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. You will also see information about the TexasFriendsTeam that also featured items of mine.

Enjoy window shopping and please click on the links of anything that catches your eye.

ARTZO
Here you will find a large selection of gold and silver plated stainless steel infinity, love, purity, promise, best friends, sister, and mother/daughter rings and necklaces.

CorkyCrafts
If you have a wine connoisseur who happens to appreciate hand made items, look no further than this shop.

GirlieGals
Girlie Gals offers you sparkle and shine at affordable prices. ~ "It's a Bling Thing!"

TXFriendsTeam
Past, present and future Texans are welcome and encouraged to join this team. The only real rules of the group are to promote friendly, The TX Way, and be respectful to all who participate.

Happy Holidays Gift Store

The Happy Holidays Gift Store is filled with local artisans' handmade creations and vintage collectors' finds. Don't fight the crowds on Black Friday, get a jump on shopping small and supporting artists from the metroplex in this pop-up holiday shop. You will be waited on by some of the artisans whose goods are for sale so you can ask questions and get in depth information about your purchases. This shopping experience should be much more enjoyable and personally tailored to your needs than the hustle and bustle found in the big box stores.

You will find my photographic art and jewelry along with ceramics, mardi gras masks, fused glass, mixed media art, holiday decor and much more. The photos in this post (click to enlarge) are from this year's store so you can get a glimpse of some of the things that you will find. (It's been open since Nov. 8 and it will be at the Arlington Museum of Art through Dec. 28.) Whether it be for someone on your gift list or your own personal wish list, unique finds await.

Vote to Show Support for Lady Bird Wildflower Center

TxDMV approves and oversees the manufacturing of personalized and specialty license plates. Designs are submitted by specialty plate marketing vendors and/or non-profit organizations and then reviewed to make sure the plates meet safety legibility requirements. The designs are then submitted to a voting process to help determine which designs will be produced.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center has a proposed license plate in the current round of voting for new designs. You can help ensure it will be approved for production by voting for the wildflowers design (even if you don't live in TX). If approved for production, $22 from each plate purchased will go to the Wildflower Center to help them increase the use and conservation of native plants, and promote the restoration and creation of healthy landscapes across Texas.

Voting is open through this Friday, Nov 21st at 5pm! I think the design is lovely and hope that it gets approved. Your vote shows support for the Lady Bird Wildflower Center and gets it one vote closer to being able to take advantage of a new revenue stream. If you are a Texan and the design gets approved, then you can also support the Wildflower Center with your purchase of their beautiful specialty license plate.

After a fairly busy month for treasury inclusions in September, October was rather slow. I want to make sure you get to meet the awesome Etsy shop owner that let me know she featured an item of mine from my EclecticSkeptic shop in a treasury in October.

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

ArtofAccessory
This shop owner has been crocheting & hand crafting products for over 10 years. She carries a vast array of products from barefoot sandals to jewelry to shawls and much more.

Eclectic Design Choices at the BRIT's Artisan Market

This Saturday, Nov. 1 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. I will have my photographic art items and feather jewelry & accessories at the First Annual BRIT (Botanical Research Institute of Texas) Artisan Market. You will be able to view most of my ready to hang photographic art creations. I'll have a selection of matted and framed prints, gallery wrapped canvas prints and prints on metal or acrylic. In addition, my matted prints, trinket dishes, note cards, purse hangers, CD clocks and bookmarks will be there too. My feather creations include hair accessories, pendants and earrings.

BRIT will be hosting additional talented artisans selling a variety of hand-crafted items including jewelry, wood housewares, hand embroidered textiles from Mexico and Honduras, photographic art, ceramics, hand-dyed accessories, all natural bath products, artisanal food and lovely hand-made children’s items.

Get a jump start on your holiday shopping. I'll see you Saturday.