you had me at cha-ching. . .

Another neglectful month, as I bounce madly around my microscopic speck of Planet Etsy. Somehow, in that epic world, I get noticed now. And then.
I've actually gone from a sale every 10 days or so to a few sales a week - with a record 11 sales in the merry month of March.
Who knew there were people out there just screaming for my Indian print skirt, a saints and roses bracelet (I'm Jewish), or three brightly carved birds on a chunk of wood?

Just validates my charmingly funky taste, I guess.

But the Etsy thing. It's totally addictive. I'm really trying to de-clutter our home, but I find myself clinging to those very things I need to lose. Hey, after all, I had the good sense to collect them in the first place.

I'm starting to sell my smaller Watt pottery pieces. They're sitting in the dark under the cupboard, while the larger pieces are in a glassed in country cabinet. Of course, everything's down right now, and if I had any real business sense (and back to MORE ROOM) - now's the time to buy. That's how my mom's second husband made a killing. He bought his very fine antiques during the Depression, when everybody needed money. He had the money, they had the treasures, and there you go.

So stop by donnapaperscissors on Etsy. Maybe you'll be my 59th sale.

Today is my 2nd anniversary on Etsy and also my 50th sale.

Come visit my shop: donnapaperscissors on Etsy

for one-of-a-kind handmade cards 

and vintage curiosities!

The Final Word on Blizzards

About 11am

Around 2pm

Later that afternoon. Sorry, I don't have boots that high.

Now that the snow mountains have melted down enough so I can actually see oncoming traffic as I inch timidly past the stop signs, I'm posting these three shots and that's it - subject closed on the Blizzard of 2013.

Actually, I wasn't too impressed. As shitstorms go, read below.

I thought the blizzard of '78 was more catastrophic because I ended up being trapped for 3 days with my now-ex husband, who was then someone I had just started dating.  Well, it was actually the emotional equivalent of the former tv show "Jackass". What was I thinking. . .

 

Our House in the Blizzard of 2013.

 

Of course, I don't shovel.
 

I merely provide food for the shovelers to shovel in.




 

 



It Takes a Blizzard. . .

I'm a terrible blogger. There, I've admitted it. It's been almost five months since my last post. I just came off of a 3 day cooking, baking and cardmaking frenzy, thanks to Nemo, the Big Daddy of blizzards that hit us here in New England this weekend.
I thought I'd post some cookies that came out pretty well, and remembered the blog. Then I remembered how long it had been since I was here, and it took me a few dozen stabs to get in  - well, it's 2am, so there's an idea.
I always sort of harrumphed at neglected blogs that hang in cyberspace, like abandoned balloons after a birthday party. The author moved on to the next fun fad. I should feel lousy and give myself a huge harrumph.
But wait! I have an excuse (I can always dream up an excuse, but this is legit). Here's what happened. Seriously.  I made the decision to decided to spend some time on my ETSY shop, which had been left high and dry because I was spending time on my BLOG, and apparently, I can't handle both at once.

I wasn't getting too many hits on my cards. Actually, I didn't have much on the shop, so I set a goal for myself: get the shop up to 100 items and see what happens. Give it a decent try. I mean, two years and 5 sales is pathetic. So I put up some vintage jewelry I had sitting around, and some nice vintage collectibles that were great, but taking up space that we just don't have.

Surprise, surprise. In September, I actually had a few sales, and each month a few more. By New Year's, I was up to 40 sales. I was hooked. I have an Etsy app on my phone that actually makes a Cha-Ching sound when a sale goes through on my shop, which is huge fun.

But at the moment, I'm down to a sale every week or ten days or so. Yes, I envy some of these shops with thousands of sales, but not much. I have a job, a husband, two grown (almost) sons, dogs, family, friends, my volunteer card making for Operation Write Home, and a zillion other things to do,
Including catching up with my posts

It only took a blizzard to do it, too.

LITTLE TREE 3D EMBELLISHMENTS

So I saw this cute little tree doodad in Joanne's the other day:

It was made in Thailand with horizontal ribbons of paper glued onto a textured heavy craft paper, with a little piece of bamboo for the trunk. But 2 bucks FOR ONE TREE is too much when you're making lots of cards for Operation Write Home, so I had to make my own:

I glued1/4" strips to a base piece (scrap is good) of paper, made 2 triangle templates - the smaller for the paperstrip triangle and a slightly larger one for mounting. I used corrugated craft paper, and snapped off little lengths of balsa wood from a big piece (Michael's). You can make any shape using this technique, and you can make a bunch at one time. Have Fun!