New Critique: LJCtree

Hello,

My relaxing week end is coming to a close. I was house sitting my parents house with three doxens (two of them are puppies that require constant petting). Its been a hard burden, but someone has to do it (seriously, they are too cute!)

While at my parents house I came across a product that I absolutely love. They are bath cupcakes (like bath bombs) from LJCtree.
I purchased bramble, lilac and a pink one that I can't remember the name to. I fired one into the tub last night and it performed admirably, even though it had been years since it was purchased!

I recommend her Bramble Bath Cupcake. It smells like blueberries and doesn't have a 'too strong' fragrance. My mom loves her Lavender so much that I also got her the lavender soap for her birthday.
Check it out!

Giveaway!

Hello!

I have come to my parents house to a surprise - a double order of silk ribbon! I swear, I only bid on one! A moment of checking reveals that I, in my sleepy 'want' mood, ordered similiar silk from two different suppliers.

Now I will photograph the silk tonight and upload it. You win one full spool of your choice of silk!

To enter:
1. Blog about the giveaway, linking here!
2. Comment here about a favorite item in my shop

Relocating

Aloha!

I am packing up for four days of house sitting three lovely little doxens. The first thing to be packed, of course, are the silk ribbon supplies. I can't reasonably pack every thing... so what do you want to see go up this week?

Iris cards? Sachets? New embroidered pendants?

Comment and choose :)

New batch of rose and irises coming to the shop

Good morning!
I hope that your day finds you well. I'd like to share that several new cards are going to be rolling out onto the shop, featuring the most popular flowers: roses and irises!
Stop by the shop to see the first card that has gone up, the purple iris!

Packing up orders tonight

Having a wonderful night packing up orders to ship out after work tomorrow! I'm throwing in a few handmade freebies- one of them is the 100% wool leaf needle book as a thank you. I can't wait to get the feed back.

Miss Pixie's Crafts: Bunting, Swaps and Wins!

Miss Pixie's Crafts: Bunting, Swaps and Wins!: "Well this has been a very good day and a lot of it is thanks to blogging! I woke up to find I now have reached 20 followers and I had lots o..."

I found this through Sweet Bee and I have to say, the blog is very uplifting and focuses on sewing! Any one who enjoys crisp photos of pretty sewing (and links to giveaways!), check this out.

New line: Ribbon Rings

Hello!

There is now a new line available at Seryna's Creations: Silk Ribbon rose rings. These rings were purchased from a fellow Etsian and crafted entirely by myself.

In celebration of the new line, please use the coupon code: codetwitter to take 20% off anything in the store!

Check back for more colors of rings to be displayed ;)

The Literary Stitching features Etsyneat

The Literary Stitching League has graciously hosted links to the Etsy team that features hand made artists ( a team that I'm glad to be in), Etsyneat! You can find that post here
http://literarystitchingleague.blogspot.com/2011/06/treasuries-from-etsy-needle-arts-team.html#comment-form

Don't skedaddle away too quickly, share a comment on the hand stitched item that captures your eye :)

Favorite roses: full roses or rose buds?

Hello!
I'm preparing a new card for a friend of mine who loves roses and I could use your help. Which roses do you prefer? Full roses (the first pink picture) or rose buds (the second red picture).
Many thanks,
~Anne

Mini Vacation

I am back from the little mini - vacation at Live Oaks Springs. The place is absolutely lovely- they rent out A frame style cabins with a mini attic with all the necessities!


The first thing we do is drive up to laguna trails and buy an Adventure pass and map. Then you can hike the beautiful trails that are only 3 -4 miles long. Some of the trails show where the wild fires passed through, but for the most part they are very lovely.

It is a lovely get away for any one in the San Diego area!

Help me pick the next ribbons to buy!

The time has come to stock up for the next embroidery rush :) I've added 4 MM of pink, reds and blushes to my cart. I'm torn on if I should go with royal blues or bright violets. Any advice?

Top 2 Passions

As I settle in on the couch with the laptop and the Betta Handbook, I get to wonder about other peoples passions. What do you like to do best? Can you come up with 5 passions that have a big impact on your life?

I considered this and came up with a few
1. Embroidery, of course! I I love to pack a 'to go' basket when I leave for the day. While my fiance was getting a haircut, I embroidered a new card!
2. Bettas
I love my Bettas (1 purchased, 2 kept from my last breeding season). Bettas are beautiful, intelligent creatures- I don't mean have a conversation with it like a crazy person, but they do 'beg' for food and interact with you far more than other fish.
I hate going to Wal - Mart and seeing a poor fish in a teensy cups. That is not what a betta is supposed to do. See those tiny 'cute' 1/4 gallon 'betta cubes or 'betta vases'? That is not where a betta was meant to live.
Bettas *can not* eat the roots of any plants. Sure, they might peck at the infusoria that live in the roots and this looks like 'eating' to people who don't research betta. Bettas do best on varied diet. Don't feel overwhelmed when you see the list of foods that Betta enjoy. Starting out with
[*] a high quality pellet like Attisons Betta Pro
[*]Some frozen food such as daphnia, mysis shrimp, blood worms
[*] A freeze - dried option *** These will need to be pre- soaked before feeding to avoid bloating in your fish. Simply capture a small bit of water from your fish tank in a cup, add the daily portion and wait a few minutes before feeding it to your betta
[/list]
are a good start. You can always pick up another choice next pay check.


If you are interested in learning more about bettas (or keep other fish) I have found this community to be supportive and helpful:
http://www.ultimatebettas.com/
They even have care guides that are a flash to read:
http://www.ultimatebettas.com/index.php?showtopic=18075

Bettas flourish (and look gorgeous and are healthy enough to interact with you) when you follow a '1 gallon of water' per inch of fish rule. Most bettas are 2 inches, so that equates to *a bare minimum* of 2 gallons. Look how pretty bettas can be in a 5 gallon tank.

Card choices: which do you like best

Tonight has yielded the completion of a few cards. The embroidered pieces were languishing, ironed and perfect, in their storage boxes. What do you think?

Should I focus on roses or heart shape cards this week? Comment and let me know which you prefer. I'd also like to hear what color of flowers you enjoy most.
You can see some of the flower cards at my Etsy


Don't forget to stop by my Mom's new shop where the wristlets will be going all week. Next week, large tote bags will be unveiled.

ArtTales giveaway

Hello!

I bring good news for any one with a copy of Stuffed! magazine and a penchant for cuteness. ArtTales is unveiling an adorable stuffed rabbit whose looking for a home. He's free to a good home that will provide lots of 'awws', carrots (stuffed, of course!) and love.

All you have to do is show your love for the Stuffed adoption agency that ArtTales makes possible for us every day. Come find out the giveaway details on this lovely rabbit at her blog:
http://arttales-leftz.blogspot.com/2011/06/june-giveaway-news.html

TheGraydeer has a craft sale in Saint Joseph Missouri + 25% coupons for it

Hello every one! I've found a new favorite shop. Put on your cuteness bibs, we're going shopping at thegraydeer!

She also has pieces that speak 'sophistication' to me, demonstrated best in this:Any lucky craftstermistras in Miss should check out Saint Joseph's in a week - she'll be in the craft show there.

You can find 25% coupons to bring the day of the show at her blog,
http://thegraydeer.blogspot.com/

Be sure to follow it for any news of future sales if you miss the show. The great thing about Etsy is that you can buy from her from any where. I love the internet + Etsy!
Find her shop here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/thegraydeer

Remember - those Pink & White large flowers are mine!
~Anne

Etsyneat Treasury: Scattered Flowers

New Etsy neat treasury -
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4de9cb3235018eef48204b52/scattered-flowers

Come see the beautiful floral creations, hand stitched by truly talented people. I never tire of looking through this team :)

~Anne

SRE: Pure elegance from DebiDesigns

I have found a gorgeous silk ribbon pincushion!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/75270410/silk-ribbon-embroidered-pincushion

I discovered this listing through the Etsyneat team, the team dedicated to hand embroidered pieces. As you look at this pin cushion, you can see the true talent within it. Start with the two - tone roses created with the spoke technique ( I refer to the technique as spider web on the blog, silly me :P ). I love the darker centers and the lighter pinks that radiate outwards.


'Stuffed with fluff from the Kapok seed pods. ' - no fiberfil from Jo Ann's here! This piece is elegant from the moire to the choice of fluff. I hope you get a chance to check this finery out.

For more selections from EtsyNEAT, check out the weekly treasury:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4de7e36cb5538eefc99bec9c/circles-and-squares-and-trianglesoh-my?index=3