Saturday, October 25, 2008

Jewelry on Etsy Team Holiday Sale

It's here! It's that time of year for the annual JET Holiday Sale!

Jewelry on Etsy Team (JET)
Holiday Sale
100's of Jewelry Designers
1000's of items on sale
2 weeks
&
only 1 palce to find it all!
type JHSJETTEM into the search box
at the top to find outstanding sales on
1000's of jewelry items.
Each shop has its own sale and shop policies so please remember to read the announcement on the shops home page.
You can check the Promotions Forum on Etsy on Oct. 26 for a list of all the participating shops and their sales.
Happy Holidays from JET!
and of course, you can start shopping at
with additional clearance items at

Things I Love: Krize (Kristina Sabaite)


I first "met" Kristina Sabaite when she purchased a few things from my creative supplies shop on Etsy, InTheRaw. She is a children's book illustrator with the most incredible imagination (as I suppose you would have to have if you do illustrations for children's books).




At that time, I don't think there was much, if anything yet, in her shop. Well, I just revisited her Etsy shop, Krize and I am in love with everything in it! Really! Cards and paintings with original (and I mean original) illustrations, adorable fabric brooches, and a tote bag that I found in her "sold items" that is to die for.










All items ship from Spain, so if you're looking for something special this holiday season, don't wait to order. My only problem? It took forever to decide which pictures to use for this story, it's going to be damn near impossible to pick only one or two things to purchase! There's so much more in her shop, please check it out. And check out her other shop, BoogieWoogie where you can find more of her wonderful bags!






Friday, October 24, 2008

Front Page Treasury!


I did a treasury page for Etsy which included many of my fellow Jewelry on Etsy Team members. Guess what...it made the front page of Etsy! Congrats to all the great artists featured! Check out all the shops!
http://littlebrownbird.etsy.com *Jewelry on Etsy Team Member
http://lavalleygirly.etsy.com *Jewelry on Etsy Team Member
http://jeweledblossoms.etsy.com *Jewelry on Etsy Team Member
http://emotionaloasis.etsy.com *Jewelry on Etsy Team Member
http://higherchakrasupply.etsy.com *Jewelry on Etsy Team Member
http://thebrasshussy.etsy.com *Jewelry on Etsy Team Member
And don't forget to check out all the Jewelry on Etsy Team shops for our annual JET Holiday Sale!!!! Search JHSJETTEAM on Etsy for terrific sale items!

Saturday, October 11, 2008

A Citizen's Suggestion to the US Presidential Candidtes

This was originally going to be a response to the comment by "moviefan" left on the last post about the debate. But it quickly turned into something more. Since we are approaching the date of the last debate, and our last chance to hear the candidates' plans (or lack there of) of action, I urge, not the voting public, but the candidates themselves to read on...


I just hope the last debate will actually be a debate. So far, I've heard just a little bit from Obama, but I've not heard a single new idea or plan of action of any kind from McCain. Do the republicans really think that they can campaign the same old way it's been done in the past in this day and age? Talking in circles, selectively focusing on records, exaggerating negatives, and flat out refusing to answer questions then changing the subject? Really??? Do they think we're stupid?! And I'm so sick and tired of hearing what the problems are. We know what the problems are! I want to know what they are going to do about it! Step by step, give me the details!

Yes, campaign promises are usually just pipe dreams. Especially if it's "I'm gonna get this economy back on track!" How? Tell me how you plan on doing it, and everything else you promise. Step 1, step 2, step 3... And if they seem like feasible ideas, then you've got my vote. The one thing I don't want to hear is more of "I voted for x bill but my opponent didn't."

Here's my personal list (other voters have their own) in no particular order, of the things that concern me most for the next President of the United States:

-Fix the economy, without just throwing tax-payers' money at it. Put measures in place to ensure that this doesn't happen again. And no more golden parachutes- if I get fired from my job, I don't get a bonus for it!

-Get the credit crisis under control so people can stop panicking, housing prices can stabalize, and banks can begin lending again.

- Lower the cost of health care (which has seemed to have gotten lost in the shuffle lately), and limit patents on drugs so that there can be some competitive pricing out there. No more people having to decide between buying food or prescription drugs!

-Force states to lower property taxes on homes that are no longer worth what they were when we bought them, and do it NOW, not two years from now!

-End the war in Iraq. Just end it.

- Give me solid resources for retirement planning so I don't work my ass off my entire life just to live my last days scraping by. (Don't even get me started on social security.) And crack down on those abusing the system, sucking up all public resources, leaving nothing for those that truly need it!

- Back off my right to choose! You don't know me, you don't know my beliefs, you don't know my personal situation, you don't know my health, and you certainly don't know the decision I would make, but the decision is MINE!

-Make education a priority in this country! Shouldn't it be a wake-up call that the leader of this country for the past 8 years thinks he's "the decider"? And his wife was a teacher! It's frightening to think that people so high up in office do not even have the ability to communicate. Without education, how can we expect to compete (or even compare) globally?
(and, while we're on the subject of communication, education, and global competitiveness...)

-Make education of world history and cultures a priority. The world has become so much smaller, as we have witnessed with the current global economic shake-up. We (speaking globally) are so closely connected, yet are so horribly ignorant of the world outside of our own individual bubbles. The root of every war is firmly planted in ignorance and fear. Americans, in my opinion, have become so much less tolerant of other cultures. (That really is shocking since the foundation of this country is, and always has been, built on the backs of immigrants in search of something better.) We have been programmed to think that the US is the best country in the world and that "our way" is the only way. The truth is, most people in this country have never even set foot outside of it (spring break in Cancun doesn't count), and have never experienced the rest of the world. It sounds cliche, but we really don't realize how lucky we are in this country. But there is so much to be learned from the world outside. And from that knowledge, we can begin to understand why some cultures hate Americans so much. And here's a novel thought, we might even begin to bridge the gap and discover shared ideologies. <-- If that word was too big for you, I rest my case.

I have many other concerns for the next administration. In fact, it seems to be a never-ending list, as it should be. But if the candidates can tell me what they are going to do about the issues above, that would be a good start for me.

----------------------------------------------------
The views expressed here are my own. I realize and respect the fact that others may not share these views. This is meant to be a launching point for discussion.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Presidential Debate(?) #2

Here we go again...
Misleading statements, exaggerations, lies, you name it...oh ya, and name calling (almost forgot that one). It was a lively debate. Oh, did I say debate? Hmm, most debates I've ever seen have two people stating facts to back up their arguments. There were indeed facts, and some of them were actually left in proper context (I was surprised) but there were many more "facts" that were twisted. I won't pass judgement here, for I believe everyone has the right to decide for themselves who should be the next US President. I've been trying to keep a very open mind until the polls officially open, but it's getting harder every day. Especially since I heard only one candidate actually answer the questions from last nights debate. The other one, to me at least, came off as a very bitter little man, "my friends". It was extremely frustrating! I really want to have a hard time deciding who to vote for because there are two highly qualified, "get-it done" type of candidates. But once again, it looks as though we are left to decide the lesser of two evils (perhaps evil is too harsh, but we'll see). I know one candidate that, if he doesn't get elected President, should at least get the most votes on "Dancing with the Stars" for dancing around the subject!

Again, I urge you to get the facts. Please log on to FactCheck.org and see for yourself.

Friday, October 3, 2008

Little Red, White, & Blue Lies

So, we've had debates now from both the Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates, with more to come. If you watched the debate last night, you probably felt like you were doing your patriotic duty by getting informed. If you haven't made up your mind which candidate to vote for yet, you feel you have a pretty good grasp on the subject to lean one way or the other. And if you are a "Die-Hard" Republican or Democrat, there's not much that can sway you anyway. Or is there? Because after one debate, each, by the Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates, I'm convinced that there are nothing but "Liberals" in this race, for they have all been awfully liberal with the truth. (Click here to watch last nights debate again, point by point.)

But little white lies never hurt anyone, right? I'm not so sure about that. Maybe if it comes from a 6 year old who's afraid of getting reprimanded for trying to flush his sister's Barbie down the toilet. But how about when it's a candidate running for the highest office in the land? I mean, politics is politics and mud-slinging is a given during election time, but shouldn't we hold our leaders to a higher standard? *I can sense you rolling your eyes.* I know, so what's new, right?

Well, if you want to truly do your patriotic duty next month *ya, I said next month* I suggest you get the facts straight. Sound bites on campaign commercials and not-so-objective commentaries from news anchors may be entertaining, but they don't really give you the full picture. In the coming weeks leading up to the election, do yourself, and your country, a favor. Get the facts. Click onto FactCheck.org to find out who's telling the truth, who's not, and who's offering a slightly skewed sense of the facts.

Things I Love: Fashion by Stella McCartney

This is the first in a new series that I'm doing, "Things I Love". So many times, while flipping through magazines or surfing on line, I find things that I just love and would love to share. So I will be doing a regular feature on my blog to share things that I feel deserve a hearty "shout-out".





First up, Stella McCartney. Fashion week in France is winding up and one of the stand-outs, for me at least, is Stella McCartney.

I just love this dress from Stella McCartney's Summer 2009 Collection!
This Brass Bag with hot pink lining is TOO CUTE!
One thing I love about Stella McCartney's fashions is that although she has some of the typical "way out there, who the hell would really wear that" stuff that so many designers do, she does have a real-world sense of what the every-day woman is looking for. These are some of my favorites from her active wear collections with Adidas.
Fortanima Boots
Hooded Polar Fleece
Studio Skirt Pants
I love these Studio Skirt Pants! That's a woman designing for women- a little built-in skirt to hide what you want to hide and still look uber-cute!
You can see the rest of Stella McCartney's collections at her beautiful web site.