This morning I logged into Etsy as I usually do and decided to find out how much I owed them (I've been slowly adding new items - they charge $0.20 per listing) and found out I owed a funny number ending in a $0.05.  So I looked at the details and found 5 5-cent 'transaction' charges.  Since I haven't been faithfully reading my emails, I realized I'd missed the notification on April 7th of a sale.  Needless to say, I immediately sent off the 5 bookmarks to the buyer.  I'm elated!!  Didn't really believe it would happen!

So today I've been madly adding more items.  They each take quite a while because I've got to photograph them first.  I do that in batches, but then I've got to figure out which photo goes with which item - a lot of my switchplates are similar and so are some of the bookmarks.  Theen, once I've settled on what I'm about to describe, and am sure I can find the photos of it, I must create a title and a description of the item, add the materials it's made from, then create tags so potential customers can find it when they don't know me from Adam.

You guys do know me from Adam, I hope.  The Etsy link, again, is

I've spent the last 2-3 weeks setting up an ETSY shop and preparing for a crafts show this past Saturday.  Etsy link: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7045175.  I hope.  The craft show made only a few dollars more than the cost of the table, but was an educational event - I need to get busy and produce more low-priced items that appeal to kids, among other things.  My girlfriend, a natural saleswoman, made several sales of fairly (for this show) high priced jewelry - she works in semi-precious stones and her items have a look of quality.  Not that mine don't - just no-one was looking for clocks or pen-and-pencil sets much.  I did sell several pill boxes and bookmarks, though.

Didn't realize how much work it is to do a single etsy listing.  First have to set up to take pictures, then take the pictures and hope they're as good as they seem to be on the small camera screen.  Transfer the photos to the computer, go through and crop out extraneous background if it got into the shot.  Log into etsy, title and describe the item, list the materials that went into it, apply "tags" to it by which buyers can look up things in categories, list price and shipping costs, upload photos, review and finally post the item for sale.  Start over again with the next item.  Usually I photo several items at once - with the bookmarks, it's sometimes hard to figure out whether I've already described this one, or which photo goes with which bookmark when they are the same color and similar design. 

And because of the practicalities of working with polymer clay, I sometimes end up with a clock that has a matching pen-and-pencil set or goodie box since I had extra clay left over from making the clock and decided to use it on something (anything nearby) else so it didn't dry out or otherwise get ruined.  But I didn't realize until Saturday's craft show that I had pens and/or pencils and/or letteropeners to go with some of the clocks.  So now I want to go on etsy to post the pens and pencils and also point out that, in one case, they go with a clock already listed there.  Or maybe I'll just figure out how to sell a "desk set for Mom" on eBay.

Yesterday was warm and sunny - I did 2 hours of garden stuff and don't hurt today.  YAY!!  Mostly cleaning up flowerbeds and cutting back ivy.  I uncovered some iris plants that had been overrun during the years I was unable to do much gardening, and discovered at least one needs to be divided and re-planted.  It feels like an accomplishment!  I also got my helper setting up plant supports for peonies and balloon flowers to grow up through (with assistance) instead of trying to corral them after they've flopped all over the place.  I still have 2 outdoor plants that I didn't get into the ground before it froze last fall.  They're growing merrily in the solarium.  Vines.  Getting them outdoors without breaking the stems may be a problem (to be faced later).

I've also taken photos of many of my bookmarks and all the switchplates, downloaded the pictures but haven't had time to go through and make sure they're good enough to post on etsy.  I think this is my etsy shop link:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7045175

I've just gone back in and updated the descriptions of 4 out of the 5 items - etsy sent an email on how to enhance your shop and I took their advice about beefing up descriptions.

Charlie (the cat) has just gone bonkers chasing an invisible something through the house.  Whatever it is, I hope it doesn't sting!

Well, I finally got around to doing something on Etsy,  and started a shop with only 5 items that I'd already photographed in the past.  It's a start.  For the moment I'm only shipping to the US 'cause that's all I think I want to handle right now.  And I've got to figure out how to package clocks based on ceramic tiles so they arrive unbroken and with their second hand unbent.  It's been a challenge getting them to crafts fairs in one piece, altho there it's mostly the second hand I worry about - they're kinda fragile (very thin and easily bent.)

The weather seems to be breaking finally.  Garden season!  I haven't actually gotten started, but know what needs to be done first - cleaning up last year's dead plants!  My "helper" (or nemesis, as the case may be) has pruned shrubs and done a lot of general cleanup, but I won't let him touch dead-looking plants without my supervision! 

I've even started working out with a personal trainer to get in shape for gardening - I'm probably the most out-of-shape I've ever been.  Bummer.

At the Pittsburgh Polymer Clay Guild meeting on Sunday, we were taught how to work with precious metal clay.  I thought it was a pain in the neck until I got the results of my work back - a lovely silver pendant that I've got to find a chain for.  My camera needs some help in taking closeups, I see.  Time for a better camera, I suspect, if I'm photographing items to sell.

Right now I've got Charlie on my lap.  Guess it's time to go.

Well, my big project for today is to go get my hair colored and cut.  The last cut was by a new beautician.  She did a good job, but in a new style - as it's grown out I don't quite know what to do with it.  She'll be doing today's cut, and I'll ask for more comprehensive directions about how it's supposed to be combed out as it grows.  (Excitement on an otherwise blah day.)

My project for today involves paying bills.  Ugh!  And opening mail that's accumulated over several days.  Guess I'm really not into communicating at the moment!

I did get confirmation of being in a craft fair on April 4th.  Kinda looking forward to that.  It's a fundraiser for an elementary school PTO and I've no idea what to expect by way of crowd, sales, etc., but rental for the space was cheap enough that only a few sales would offset expenses.  Maybe not offset the time, but that should be sort of fun anyway.

Not much scheduled today.  Lunch with a friend, then the plumber comes to the house to talk about heating the garage so we stop having pipes bust every year.  Sounds expensive.  Plus he also wants to talk about remodeling our 50-year old upstairs bathrooms.  Tom's not very interested in that one, and I can't see how the bathrooms will be improved (other than, maybe, appearance) by remodeling.  We like the colors and can't figure out how to get more room in either space.  It'd be nice to have electrical outlets where they're more convenient, but other than that don't see much advantage.  Maybe Mr. Plumber will come up with some brilliant ideas.

Well, we've now got snowdrops and hellebores blooming.  No photos today, not yet dressed to go out and take any.  Daffodil, crocus and tulip leaves are showing, but no flowers yet.  My garden "helper" came yesterday and completely misunderstood my instructions for pruning the viburnums, so I now have viburnum nubs lining the front yard (I'd told him to take out 2 or 3 branches down to 6" or a foot above the ground.)  Oh well, what's done is done, unfortunately.  I did, however, manage to get through to him that he does NOT have to scrape every scrap of fallen leaf off the soil.  So there's still some natural mulch/compost in most places.  He did a good job of cleaning up paths and driveways, though.

Well, I've successfully avoided exercising for about 2 hours now, guess I'd better go get on the exercise bike!

SO ---- I don't even know the last time I posted here.

My epidural worked this time - no more hip pain from spinal stenosis for the next couple months.  Bursitis is still a problem, but so be it.  One pain is better than 2!

Today is supposed to be warmer - finally beginning to feel like March.  This year, I doubt that I'll plant peas on the 15th - the ground will still be too cold.  But I did repot all the amaryllis bulbs that had outgrown their previous pots, unlike the last 2 years.  It really does help to not hurt intensely all the time!  And next will start on the overgrown house plants.  Some day.

AMARYLLIS BLOSSOMS:

A window full of amaryllis blossoms and one lonely orchid

This one was a Christmas present this year - I don't know what it's called

I've got several of these, don't know what they are, either.

Last week we celebrated Tom's 72nd birthday with 2 parties - one with lots of friends and a second with just family.  His younger daughter came in from Harrisburg and we all went out to The Cheesecake Factory with Anne (older daughter), Steve and Molly.  With the friends we went to Mitchell's Fish Market.  There were actually 3 people celebrating birthdays at that party, and 3 free desserts supplied!  We have one friend whose birthday is the same as Tom's - Feb. 26th - and one who was born on the 27th.  Both younger than Tom.  Seems strange - at one time I was the youngest person in many social settings.  Guess that's what time does to us.  (My "baby" will have his 41st birthday in May.)

To keep up on the medical front, I had a minor skin cancer excised (that's what the dermatologist called the procedure, done in her office) from near my left elbow yesterday.  It's still kind of sensitive and I have to keep it dry for 9 days until the stitches are taken out.  Bummer.  Now I'll have to keep covering myself with sunblocker whenever I go to the beach.  I knew it would come to this eventually.  I'd been protecting my face very carefully for about 5 years, but now it'll have to be everywhere.

I've applied to another small craft show this week - sent the application and a check to rent the table and chairs.  My girlfriend (she sells jewelry) and I will have to be in Tarentum, PA (wherever that is) by 7 AM on the day of the sale to set up.  Guess I'd better find out so I know whether I'm to pick up Tina or she's to pick me up.  At the moment I don't know whether Washington PA or Pittsburgh is nearer Tarentum.  I've been working on some more items to sell - all in blue since I realized I've not done much in that color.  Also, I'd been trying to produce a cane depicting a rose - well, a blue rose - and using both my botched and good attempts plus all the scraps (never waste any clay!).

BLUE POLYMER CLAY ITEMS (the clocks don't have clock parts yet.):

Some day I'll even get around to photographing the items individually for etsy.  But I'm not going real fast on that project, it seems!

 My regular subscriptions haven't shown up for maybe the last 5 days.  Is there a new policy?  Or has AT&T decided Xanga is spam?  At any rate, I miss all you guys - altho reading my email goes a lot faster than usual!

It's supposed to snow tonight - another 2 or 3 inches.  We had unexpected (I think) snow yesterday afternoon - about an inch.  So it's winter for sure!  I counted birds for Feederwatch over the weekend - rather erratically, so didn't get what I consider a really good count, but since that's my more usual pattern these days, my counts should be good for comparison to each other over the past few years.  We've been seeing a white-throated sparrow the last month or so - I haven't gotten them very often over the last few years.  And last count period there was a red-bellied woodpecker - fairly common around here, but the first time this season I saw him at my feeders.

This afternoon I go in for another epidural shot for my spinal stenosis.  I've not had much pain since the last shot and the knee replacement, so this is sort of to 'nip in the bud' the beginnings of symptoms I've noticed recently.  Means I can't eat anything since 8 AM.  Good thing I had a big breakfast!

Went down to the basement "recreation" room (I put it in quotes 'cause it has a TV, a stationary bike and recumbent elliptical trainer, and tons of plant stuff, including all my dormant amaryllis plants) to do 1/2 hour on the bike, then started re-potting the overcrowded amaryllises until I ran out of appropriate sized pots.  I've still got maybe 18 or 20 to do.  Problem is, every time I un-pot an amaryllis bulb, I've got anywhere from 2 to 7 offshoot bulbs that I've got to decide whether to discard or pot.  Right now I've got a really big bunch of discarded bulbs, mostly rather tiny ones.  Maybe I'll try putting them in the ground over the summer & see if they get much bigger.

Gotta leave for my Physical Therapy appointment...

I took the 43 Things Personality Quiz and found out I'm a

It's around 10 degrees out there and forecast to get even colder for the next 2 days.  And tonight we have tickets for JERSEY BOYS downtown.  I'll bundle up and enjoy the show - been looking forward to it for several months.  We never got to see it in NYC when we were there.

Right now, Tom's using the Wii Fit balance exercises, so my time is being punctuated by cute music and interruptions to my attention span.  The games are kinda fun and seem to be helping.  An incentive to increase one's exercise time.

So yesterday was an 'at home' day.  I caught up on my bookkeeping, finished my book and did a little polymer clay.  I want to make some switchplates and bookmarks with a blue background since I have none right now.  But first I spent time doing a color mixing exercise using Kato Ultra Blue and White.  With the white group, I could still see some blue down to a 1/256 dilution, but on the blue side only down to 1/64.

So I stopped working with the blue but continued on with the white.  Can you tell a difference in the last 2 blues from the original?