Jewelz Creatives

Week 9, Life with Lady

2011-02-24T06:48:00.001-05:00

Wow time sure does fly when you are having fun!

Lady is now about 6 months old, and has lost all of her baby teeth. She lost the last two top canines on Saturday and the new ones are already about half grown in. She has also put on a fair amount of weight, weighing at least 30 pounds now. Her grip when playing tug is very strong, and is of course one of her favourite games.

She is so very smart too! She loves to put balls into plastic tubs, carry the tub around (with the ball inside) and then tossing the ball still holding the tub in her mouth. Lady also enjoys using blankets and such to bury her balls and then 'find' them again.

I have caught her picking up my husband's hockey stick and trying to hit her toys around using it. She will even pick up a glove or another toy and use that to whack her toy balls and then chase after them.

Lady is now for certain house trained. She had to be left in the house for 3.5 hours last Thursday, and when my husband returned there were no 'treasures' left anywhere for him to find. We are very proud of her :)

One day going down to the mill and checking out the river, my husband took along the camera. Here are some shots of what he and Lady saw. She soooo wanted to catch that goose!

Life with Lady, Week 7

2011-02-22T20:47:00.000-05:00

Lady by now has lost about 8 teeth I think. She is definately happier now that things are proceeding nicely. I have found that most often, within a day of losing a tooth a new one is already showing in it's place. She still likes to have a frozen tomato and one of her berry ice cubes after the loss of the tooth. She is currently getting ready to lose the 4 canine teeth. Those are the ones causing her the most problems, as the roots are the longest and take quite awhile to reabsorb. We all are anticipating the relief she will be feeling once those are gone.

She has also had at least 4 molars grow in, and I will be checking regularly to see how many more are there.

She does not like it much when I am away from the house at work, and greets me most enthusiastically when she sees me again in the evening. It is all cuddles and groans for about half an hour then she settles. I think that will change slightly when spring gets here. She will have so many new things to sniff that she will be quite content.

My husband heard on a radio show on CBC regarding training dogs that two methods seem to stand out from the rest. One is called 'click' training. That is when you get a clicker, and whenever she displays appropriate behaviour, or even the beginning of it, you click. As time goes on she will automatically do that particular thing and be much easier to control when it comes to jumping on people, doing tricks, or even just letting people know when she needs to go outside.

The other thing of interest was training her to be where you want her when you are out on walks. I like having her right by my left side. So what a person does it take a spoon, put peanut butter on it, and freeze it. When taking her for a walk, hold the spoon exactly where you want her head to be, and after a few 'spoons' she will naturally walk there. She will 'remember' the good feelings/tastes associated with being in that spot that you will no longer need to use the spoon. I am thinking of trying this starting this week. I will let you all know how it turns out.

Life with Lady, Week 6

2011-02-02T06:14:00.000-05:00

The teething process turns out to be over pretty quickly. She has lost about 4 of her incisors now. She still wimpers a bit and gets quite frustrated that she can not hold on to her tug toy as good as before, but is much happier now. I even managed to get a tooth! I have a tiny glass vial charm that I had saved from a few years ago, and put it in that. I know, a bit weird, but then again I still have some of my son's baby teeth and he turns 20 this year!

Lady is pretty much house trained now. She has only had a couple times where we did not get up early enough in the morning and I do not hold her to blame for that.

Over the next 4 weeks I am not going to be able to spend as much time with her as I would like, I am working 4 days a week. I am very happy for my sake about the extra day of work, but Lady is not going to be impressed with it. It is for the best in so many ways though. Plus, eventually when my husband goes back to work she will be alone for 9 hours until I return from work. By then she will be 7 - 8 months old though. So hoping things will go smoothly.

Lady and our cat Leo are getting along Very well now! I have found Leo purring and rubbing up against Lady quite often. No taking of naps together as of yet, but one never knows if they cuddle up at night. I hope to get a picture of them together someday soon.

Here are a few pictures of her playing with her 'jug' in the back yard. As you can see, she loves it!

Life with Lady, Week 5

2011-01-29T07:02:00.000-05:00

Things have settled down a wee bit, as Lady was teething pretty intensely. It is so sad, to see a puppy in distress and not be able to either explain it to her, or to help much.

Add this to the fact that she is growing very quickly, and the result is not much sleep for anyone involved.

We did find out a few very interesting things, however. Lady loves frozen raspberries, frozen blueberries and frozen cherry tomatos. Rather than going out and buying her a puppy teething ring (made from who knows where and who knows what), I started making her ice cubes with raspberries and blue berries in them. It helps take down the inflammation in her gums, sooths aches and she gets a 'treat' when the cube has melted.

I wonder how long it takes for the teething process to finish?

Life with Lady, week 4

2011-01-22T06:42:00.000-05:00

On Monday, when my husband cleaned out his garage, he found one of my son's frisbees. After cleaning it off, I discovered that it was in perfect shape, and took Lady outside in the back yard to show her how much fun it can be. She would chase after it and get so confused since it did not fly the same as when you toss a ball. It was hilarious! After a few tosses she learned very quickly to watch it and change direction as it did. I do not think it will be long before she learns to guess where it is going and start catching it on the fly.

She is now going most nights without any accidents. The only time she did was when we were so tired neither of us got up at our regular 5:30 wake-up time. She felt quite embarrassed, I could see it in her eyes.

Last night, she was cuddled up with me in my chair and I started saying 'Hello, Hello". She immediately got up and ran over to the door, looking for something. She came back to me, looking quite sad. I was not sure at first what was happening and did it again. My husband laughed and told me that I was using the same tone of voice as when I say "hello Leo" (my cat). Turns out, she was expecting to see Leo! She really adores him and tries so very hard to get Leo to play with her.

Later on, when Leo came inside for the night, Lady took one of her toys (a plush parrot squeaky toy I made her) up to Leo and dropped it in front of him. She then backed off a few paces, and layed down. She wiggled her butt a few times and whimpered. Leo just looked at her and the toy and did nothing. Lady wiggled forward a bit, and nosed the parrot towards Leo and wiggled her butt again. Leo finally batted at the parrot a couple of times and that was just what Lady wanted. Lady got so excited she barked and jumped up, and of course Leo took off like a shot! That of course started a chase around the house for a few minutes until Leo jumped up on the dresser in the washroom where I keep his food.

It does seem that they are becoming fast friends. I wonder if this summer I will find them sprawled out on Lady's couch outside, asleep in the sun?

Life with Lady, week 3

2011-01-21T06:39:00.002-05:00

Last week, Lady discovered that chasing a lid off of a coffee can or a ice cream pail is loads of fun.

I take her for walks about 3 times a week right now as I do not want to confuse her training. Since my hubby uses slightly different commands and he takes her out in the bush it is too much potential for confusion. When he walks her, she is let off the leash quite often, and he uses a longer leash. I prefer to go for shorter walks and use a shorter leash. I find it easier to control her and that is important since we meet lots of people on our walks. She has learned to stop at every intersection and sit until I give her the go-ahead. She will even look both ways at times.

Near the end of the week she managed to go 3 days without having an accident in the house over night! We were so proud of her. She got an extra treat at the end of the day (of course she had no idea why).

Lady discovered a new toy. She took possession of one of my old flower pots. It makes a lovely sound when rolled around on the floor or chewed on. She also loves to pick up one of her other toys, and put it in the flower pot and carry it around that way. I wonder if she can be trained to put away her toys at the end of the day?

Life with Lady, week 2

2011-01-20T06:28:00.002-05:00

Lady started learning to catch a gently tossed ball and to bring it back for us to toss again. She loves going for long romps in the bush with my husband and is getting over her fear of meeting other dogs. She still loves to jump in excitement although the words 'down' and 'sit' are starting to work.

We changed to feeding her twice a day now, and it was a bit easier helping her to go outside rather than just 'letting go' whenever she needed to. I believe she started to recognise the signals of when she needed to go.

Her favourite outside toy is a (very well cleaned) oil jug, that she chases along the snow. It slides so very well and can be picked up by the handle. I wonder what she will do come spring when it gets mucky?

Lady went to visit a farmer friend of ours with my husband and she had a wonderful time. He is a cattle farmer and I believe she felt like she was home again (being raised on a cattle farm). She loved playing with the cats and being able to run about in and out of the barn.

She was given a wonderful treat, a nice bone that she managed to drag around even though it was huge! It definately helped her with her teething and she was quite content staying outside in her area for hours at a time chewing on it.

She made friends with our cat Leo, and they now have an 'understanding'. It was so nice to see that they did not turn into growling fights, I was a bit concerned about it.

Life with Lady, our Aussie Lab mix puppy

2011-01-19T08:28:00.000-05:00

I have decided to do a bit of a diary on Life with Lady. Mind you, it has been about 5 weeks now since we got her, so for the next little while these posts will be about what had happened then. As time goes on I will be able to catch up to what is happening more currently.

Week 1:

We took Lady to the Christmas family party on Christmas day, and to be honest I was a bit leary about it.

We had her only a week and a half and she was far from trained to go visiting. I worried for nothing however, as everyone loved her and we just made it a habit to take her outside every 40 minutes or so 'just in case'.

It went very well, she did not beg during meal time and there were no 'treasures' left for my brother-in-law and his wife.

We were still feeding her 3 times a day at that point and my husband was trying to figure out the best time for her evening meal. He wanted to give her enough time for sleep and still wake up early enough to help her prevent 'accidents' inside.

She was leash trained at this point and we had finally found an actual harness that fit her after I modified it a bit.

She had learned to play fetch by this point although we still had to work on her bringing it back for another toss. She also loved to play tug with me.

One evening she was a bit bored with her toys, so we came up with a new one for her. It certainly proved an hour of laughter, and she figured it out very quickly. We put a golf ball under a round plastic container on the floor and moved it around. Lady could see and hear the ball, and she wanted that ball! She pushed it around on the hardwood floor for about 20 minutes, and then finally pounced on it, right on the edge. It popped up and the ball rolled out. Lady was very excited about this and wanted us to put the ball under the container again. Within 5 minutes she had the ball out again.

Next, we put a lid on the container and it took about 30 minutes that time for her to figure out how to take the lid off. She then proceeded to pick up the ball, and drop it in the container and bring both back to one of us to put together again. She is such a smart dog!

We got a puppy!

2010-12-22T06:29:00.001-05:00

Our Lady Tripper

My husband and I got our Christmas gift early this year. Lady is a 16 week old Australian Shepherd / Labrador Retriever mix (also known as a Shepador).

We just got her on Monday, and already she is doing very well with the 'house breaking'. Raised on a cattle farm, she loves the outdoors and has a lot of respect for other larger animals and vehicles. Now if only our Leo, the cat, would be able to become friends with her. Since our other cat Smokie went missing a month ago it has seemed a bit lonely in the house. That is certainly not the problem now!

Isn't Lady the most adorable puppy ever?

Repurposing Toys for your dog or cat

2010-11-27T06:58:00.001-05:00

One thing that makes me sad is when I see people throwing out stuffed plush toys. I know, we are all very careful of the toys we allow our children to play with, and once the child no longer plays with their stuffies, what are we to do with them?

One thing you can do is if it is in perfect condition, you can give them away to a child who has very little. But sometimes they are just thrown in the trash because they are missing an eye or other part, and most people do not have the time or ability to fix the toy.

This is where I decided to rescue some of the toys in my house. Rather than just tossing them, I took the ones in really good shape, and repurposed them. I washed them, removed any potential harmful bits such as ribbins, jingle bells, plastic eyes, and unknown stuffing etc. I then repaired any rips, embroidered on new eyes/noses and replaced the stuffing with new poly quilt batting. The ones that are to be used as dog toys I added a small squeaker.

Now are these not just adorable?

Plush Lion repurposed dog toy

Whale plush dog toy repurposed

Dog squeaker toy plush Penguin repurposed

I can also leave out the squeaker if your dog does not like those, or add catnip to them so that you can give them to your cat.

To see more available dog toys, please feel free to visit my studio!

Grocery shopping bag holders

2010-11-17T06:50:00.000-05:00

Do you keep your grocery shopping bags for using later? I know I do. I also know it can be a pain to try to find places to keep them, and get so tired of them taking up space in cupboards or closets.

Years ago I had made a bunch of fabric tubes with elastic at the top and bottom, and loops at the top for storing these bags in. I had given a bunch to family and friends and they loved them! Recently I started making them again and put them up for sale in my ArtFire studio. I now have quite a few of these grocery bag holders available in a variety of sizes and prints.

They make wonderful gifts, and you can keep on in each room of your house such as your kitchen, hallway, laundry room, nursery, garage or even in your car. If you are an artisan/crafter and participate at craft shows, they are a great way to transport and store your bags in for your customers.

Here are just a few of the ones I have available in my ArtFire studio right now.

Grocery bag holders

Curated By: Jewelz_Creati...

ArtFire.com

Unique Gifts

Creepy Crawly Spiders, oh my

2010-10-12T19:21:00.000-04:00

Creepy Crawlies

It has been a banner year for those icky creepy crawly spiders here, in fact I think I have seen some new ones. Or at least ones that I have not seen often enough before to make an impact on me. I need to make it clear that I Do Not Like spiders, in any way. In fact, I usually scream when I see them. It all comes from a couple of incidents when I was a young child. One was being bitten a spider. The bite swelled up and was extremely itchy. The other incident was actually multiple times, and no I was not bitten. However, we did not have a basement, we had a crawl space under our house. That was where we kept our vegetables such as potatoes, onions, carrots, and the wonderful jams and pickles my mom made. That crawl space was Loaded with spiders, and whenever I had to go get stuff I would cover myself head to toe with clothing. I had nightmares about it for years.

When I was a teenager, about age 19, I was living in a cottage on the north mountain in Nova Scotia. That one summer I remember clearly the cottage was covered in these huge black spiders for a couple of days. The kind of spider that screamed 'taranshula' in my mind. No, they were not, but still. Nasty icky things.

The ones that have made an impact on me this year are not the tiny furry black things, but the huge fat bodied ones that are like a mosaic. Apparently my son was actually feeding a couple in our garage! One of them is so huge now, it's body is the size of a shooter marble! It has now changed colour from the normal black and grey to an almost brilliant orangey yellow shade. That change happened over a couple days. My husband tells me it is due to the fact that she is ready to lay her eggs. I do not know why, but I do know that her colouring is just perfect for Hallowe'en and it is actually quite stunning.

No idea why, but I felt compelled to take some pictures of a few of this type of spider we have around our property. Turns out we have two in the garage, one hanging from the roof of our porch, and two in the front flower beds. I am certain there are lots more I have not seen.

***shiver***

Organic Rose Hip tea and jelly

2010-10-11T17:58:00.000-04:00

My rose bush is finally big enough to produce an amazing harvest of rose hips! I am very excited as I love rose hip tea, and want to make some rose hip jelly.

After the first frost, I will be harvesting these lovely fruits, and some of them will be dried in preparation for my winter supply of tea. The rest of them will be used to make some wonderful jelly. If it turns out I will let you know and provide my recipe.

Aren't they gorgeous??

Prepping for Winter

2010-09-26T07:40:00.000-04:00

We have needed to fix our roof for about a year now, and it is finally getting done this weekend! We had purchased the shingles last fall, but ran out of time (it snowed a couple weeks too early), and then of course as soon as spring came the guys we were going to get to help us had already started working.

Yesterday, we were able to get things organized enough to start the process, and I have to admit, I am very pleased. They got the first side of the roof already done (stripped, new boards put down, plus shingled) and today it looks like they will be able to do the other side.

Now, one thing I have to keep in mind is that our house is over a hundred years old, and used to be a church. So, the roof is extremely steep, and Not a fun job to do. I do believe it was about 20 years ago since it was re-shingled, and there was some damage caused by pesky hornets nesting under the boards. So all in all, it is quite amazing how much they accomplished yesterday.

The best online selling venue group deal ever!

2010-09-15T17:53:00.001-04:00

Have you been thinking of opening up your own website, or looking for that perfect yet affordable venue to sell your handmade goodies, vintage items or supplies? Artfire is going to be shortly exiting their beta stage and want to share their excitement by offering this awesome Artfire group deal. It is only available for a limited time so sign up now, you definitely not want to miss this!!

For $5.95 a month, you will receive a studio with tons of tools such as :

Rapid Cart
Global Pay
Market Hub
Google Boost
Fusion Studio
Shop Sort
Total View
Artisan Blog
Picture Gallery
Studio Widgets
Facebook Kiosk
Global Editor
Etsy Importer
Sticky Cart
Artisan Guilds
Artisan Councils
Maker Bio
Artifact Awards
Sales Booster
Coupon Codes
Gift Certificates
Forge
Merchandizer
Promo Labels and more are always being developed!

And the best thing is, there are no final value fees, no commissions, and no extra charges for pictures (in fact, you can use up to 10 pictures per listing!).

You will not be charged unless the minimum is met, so why not sign up for a free basic studio, and you can opt in to be included in this group package, and when Artfire has reached the minimum 20,000 sign-ups it will go live! The cap has been set for 50,000 so you do not want to wait too long, or you may miss out.

For more details and For the Terms and Conditions, click here.

Want more details about Artfire itself? Well, they are not 'just a venue' they are actually a 'hub' where you can provide links to your other online websites (whether they are selling venues, Facebook, personal blog, twitter, flickr, even your Etsy shop). You can learn all about SEO, how to take better pictures, a 45 day guide to success and pretty much anything else you could ever want to know about running your own online business. And, your customers Do Not have to be members of Artfire to purchase from you!

So check it out, and see what you think. You will be glad you did!

REMEMBER!

IF THE DEAL IS NOT ACTIVATED your card will not be charged $5.95 or ANY OTHER AMOUNT and your current account status will not change.

Which Witch is which?

2010-09-15T05:19:00.000-04:00

Are you ready for Hallowe'en yet? If you are still looking for some decorations for your home and yard, why not check out these awesome handmade Hallowe'en creations. Now if only dear hubby would let me get some more!

Which Witch is Which?

Curated By: Jewelz_Creati...

ArtFire.com

Fine Art Paintings

Wooden it be good!

2010-09-11T07:55:00.000-04:00

As you already know, I am very partial to things made of wood. The look, feel, even the smell of it....

I put together this collection of favourite wood products, all handmade from my fellow artisans on ArtFire, and all of these are basic (free) studios. Come check them out!

Wooden it be good

2010-09-01T04:50:00.001-04:00

I am always pleased to find so many others love frogs too! Aren't they just adorable?

Here are two wonderful collections of handmade frogs I am honoured to be included in.

Whimsical Frogs are so Hoppy

Curated By: Designs-in-St...

ArtFire.com

Vintage Fashion

Frog Quilts & More

Curated By: bitspeaces

ArtFire.com

Handmade Gifts

More gorgeous collections!

2010-08-31T04:50:00.001-04:00

I am very fortunate and honoured to be in such lovely collections of handmade goodies!

If you would like to check them out, just click on them, it will take you directly to that collection on Artire.

Floral Fantasy

Curated By: SwirlJewels

ArtFire.com

Indie Design

Spooktacular

Curated By: onpensandneed...

ArtFire.com

Fine Art Paintings

You Animal!

Curated By: SunshineandWh...

2010-08-13T17:31:00.001-04:00

Sometimes I find it a bit frustrating trying to do a little shopping online. I mean, I usually have some idea of what I am looking for, but most times I just want to get some ideas. Since it is already August, and fall is just around the corner, I wanted to start making a list of potential gifts for the men in my life. So the other day I decided to do a quick search on unique gifts for men. There were pages and pages of links to various sites that came up, and I admit I got a little lost in them. So many choices!

I had to narrow it down a wee bit, so I included changed that to unique handmade gifts for men. Since I get so tired of the usual mass produced things like socks, and chocolates, I really wanted something different. I have quite a few men in my life, including my father, my two nephews, my son, my husband, my father-in-law, my brother-in-law and two nephews-in-law, that is a lot of gifts! I certainly need to make a list! At least now though, I do have some ideas.

Artfire Maven Blues

2010-08-13T05:59:00.002-04:00

I was very fortunate, and was including in this stunning Maven Blues collection curated by soapsmith. Now this is a wonderful selection of jewelry, pin cushions and my cute little catnip toy zombie kitten, in all shades of blue. I love how soapsmith put this one together, it looks wonderful!

Maven Blues

Curated By: soapsmith

ArtFire.com

Unique Gifts

And in case you are wondering, Mavens are a group of people who test out new features and tools for Artfire, and give suggestions and feedback to help eliminate potential problems and bugs before admin releases it for the general members of Artfire. I am fortunate enough to have been accepted as one of the team, and feel that it is a wonderful opportunity for me to give back to the community. Plus, it is lots of fun!!

Supporting the Indie Artisans

2010-08-12T05:59:00.001-04:00

I have been a member of an awesome guild on Artfire for a couple months now, called Shops with Less than (10) sales. It is a great way of learning various ways of promoting yourself, and generally making new friends. My fellow members are a great bunch, full of support and best of all, there are some awesome artisans with fresh "eyes" who can help make suggestions to better one's chances of being seen in the huge Google pond.

I wanted to show my support of the guild, so I made this collection of some really gorgeous pieces. I call it Less than 10 Sales and I am hoping that soon we will have some new graduates in the guild. Basically, once a studio reaches their 11th sale, they can "graduate" out of the guild. As you can see, I do love black!

So if you like to support the handmade movement and indie artists, why not check out some of the wonderful artisans? You never know, you may even be able to get your Christmas shopping done early this year!

Pamper your Pet!

2010-08-07T10:54:00.001-04:00

Here is my latest collection of Artfire goodies! Since I love to pamper my own pets, I wanted to show off some goodies that can help you pamper Yours. Isn't that caterpiller dog costume adorable?

My latest Artfire collection Bubble and Squeek

2010-08-05T18:10:00.003-04:00

I am having way to much fun doing these! I have a list now of potential themes, and instead of spending time sewing my catnip toys etc I find myself searching out lovely items to include in my favourite collections. I think over time I will be using these for things like Christmas wish lists, sale promos (like the last one, Christmas in July), seasonal and tons of others.

The Artfire Mavens (of which I am a member) get to test run new features for Artfire, and this is the latest one we have been working on. It is almost ready for release and we are all quite excited about it!

This latest one I made, is based on a phrase in one of my favourite books "Bubble and Squeek". In this case, however, I used mice and soaps LOL instead of food.

Isn't it adorable? If you click the link it will take you to my collection and from there you can check out all those adorable items I have chosen.

Have fun!

My first Artfire Collection!

2010-08-04T20:44:00.001-04:00

I am so very excited! I was able to create a wonderful collection of some of my favorite things on Artfire in this lovely collection.

I call it "Crazy Critterz"

Aren't they wonderful?

Do you love wood?

2010-07-29T05:35:00.000-04:00

I know I do! The look, the feel, even the smell of wood. Something about it just appeals to my "nature" self. Wood is used to make so many things that we need in daily life. I know that when I buy something handmade from wood, it has been done so with loving and caring hands.

Artfire Artisan Mad Moravian offers some absolutely gorgeous turned wood pens and keychains in his studio. Now the only choice I have to make is which one is my favourite!

Baron style rollerball pen in Sunset Orange Spalted Maple

Desert Ironwood key chain with hidden compartment

What would you choose???

Thank you Ladies!

2010-07-28T06:55:00.000-04:00

Sending out a huge thank you to Kim from VaBeachQuilter for the lovely feature on your blog!

If you like to support handmade, aspiring artists, here is one blog you Don't want to miss. Every week Kim features someone new, and trust me, there are some awesome artisans featured!

I have also been included in this wonderful blog written by Emms. A truly lovely lady and tallented artisan in her own right. I look forward to reading her blog on a regular basis! Thank you Emms!

Cat blogs and forums

2010-07-24T10:36:00.000-04:00

Have you ever done a search, looking for blogs and forums about cats? Wow, so many choices out there! It is very difficult to find what I am looking for, exactly, and google search really does not help.

I guess what I am looking for is a forum and some really cool blogs, where people can talk about their cats. Nutrition, care, what kind of things they like to buy for their cats and so on. Any ideas?

Handmade organic catnip toys

2010-07-18T07:01:00.000-04:00

I have recently came up with three new series (lines) of catnip toys.

The first one I call the Nipper Napperz. These are 2-in-1 catnip toys, that can be used as a toy, and after your kitten is all tuckered out from the kicking and scratching, she can use it as a blanket and take a nap! I used the Log Cabin quilting style, 2 layers of polyester batting, and filled them with my very own, extremely potent organic catnip. While sewing the two outer layers of cotton fabric together, I also sewed in the batting to prevent bunching of the batting. Then I machine quilted a square in the center, also to help keep from bunching. They measure about 7 inches square (17.8 cm). I currently have two of these available in my studio on Artfire.

Nipper Napperz 2-in-1 catnip toy blanket

The second series are my Zombie kitten catnip toys. Adorable little toys, measuring approximately 5 x 3.5 inches (12.8 x 9 cm), made with cotton fabric, poly batting and filled with my organic catnip. These are available in my Artfire studio, Etsy shop, and in my shop JewelzCreatives on a new website for Canadian Handmade called Zaybia.

Zombie kitten organic catnip toy

The third series are my Peek a Boo catnip toys, which are adorable little "faces" peeking at the world. These measure 5 x 3.5 inches (12.7 x 9 cm) and are made from cotton fabric, filled with poly batting and my catnip. These can only be found in my Artfire studio.

Sapphire, Peek a Boo organic catnip toy

Christmas in July sale on Arfire starts today!

2010-07-12T05:00:00.004-04:00

Remember this sale only runs from today, July 12th until Sunday July 25th! Here are 3 more wonderful studios for you to check out.

On Pens and Needles

Husband and wife team, Don and Jan started “On Pens and Needles” after Don retired from the military and Jan retired from nursing. They combined Don’s love of woodworking and Jan’s love of embroidery and sewing to make a variety of handmade wood and acrylic pens and jewelry as well as embroidered and sewn items for baby and the home. Recent additions to their shop include scrapbooking embellishments, gift tags and pre-cut quilt pieces. Custom orders are always welcome!

Special 15% off purchases over $10 during TWOCIJ.

Use coupon code OPN Christmas in July

Acrylic Pen - Olympian Elite2

Mad Moravian

I just love the look and feel of wood, it seems so alive! Mad Moravian works both in wood and in stained glass. (He also offers some gorgeous chain mail) He has been working with wood for over 20 years, and has a very good feel for it. He says that it is the discovery of the hidden shapes and patterns that lie within the wood and its grain that delights him, and it is what keeps him creating. "Each piece of wood has a different story to tell. Some tell their story pleasantly. Some tell theirs explosively, refusing to be captured in a pen or bottle stopper", he says. "The wood often determines what happens".

From pens to bottle stoppers to key chains, he surely has the perfect gift for that special someone!

15% off sale for TDOCIJ using coupon code JICODT.

Cabrara style pen in sunset Orange Spalted Maple

VaBeachQuilter

V.A. Beach quilter takes a lot of pride in her work, as you can clearly see while browsing her studio. She has been machine quilting for almost 10 years, and has made a number of quilts for local MLB players and their families. She even had a custom ordered quilt mentioned in an article by Seth Livingstone, reporter for USA Today Sports.

Xmas in July 15% off of total order through July 15th. Coupon: JULY

Just take a look at this wonderful quilt. I am sure some child will be very happy to receive their personalized quilt for Christmas!

Yo Gabba Gabba Custom Order Quilt

Only one more day until the Artfire Christmas in July sale event!

2010-07-11T05:00:00.001-04:00

Are you ready? I certainly am!

At RockBug you can find fun dog apparel, re-usable shopping bags and some very unique jewelry. Rockbug will be offereing 10% off during the Christmas in July sale event.

I am particularly fond of this necklace, what do you think? Isn't it adorable!!?

Tri-color wood cavy chain necklace with silver beads

Shields Photography I just love fine photography, and this studio certainly offers some of the best I have seen in a long time. They say a picture says a thousand words, and I have to agree. So, I will let these speak to you for themselves!

Frozen Stream 12x18 Fine Art Photography Print

Sewing Happy Place offering a variety of hand sewn articles such as mini wallets, cell phone bags and tissue cozies, you are certain to find the perfect gift in this studio. If you are looking for vintage sewing patterns, you may wish to check out those sections as well. Lots to choose from!

Card Keeper/ Mini Wallet/ Case / Folksy Artsy Dutch

And the excitement builds...

2010-07-10T05:00:00.020-04:00

Only 3 more days until the Twelve Days of Christmas Sale event on Artfire.com!

As promised, here are four more studios for you to visit.

The Bookmark-et makes custom bookmarks for all occasions, save the date magnets, beaded bookmarks, and magnetic verse cards. She will have a section in her studio all set out for your convenience while Christmas shopping.

Now, isn't this adorable?

Christmas in July - Snowman and Friends Verse Magnet

Marcelle Bijoux who has her own line of designer clothing (has her own website for these) and jewelry, offers a wonderful mix of colours and textures in her jewelry studio . Each of her original designs is carefully created one at a time, giving every handmade piece it's own unique character. All of her items come in a pretty gift box ready for giving.

Copper & Unakite Harvest Swirl Teardrop Earrings

Katie Jeans Handcrafted Jewelry designer of very unique handmade jewelry, created using the highest quality materials such as sterling silver, semi-precious gem stones, glass and crystal beads. She accepts wholesale orders, and offers free shipping to US and Canada.

Katie's studio is a definate must in your shopping tour!

Red Quartz and Black Onyx Three Strand Necklace

Ecclectic LadyLand offers a variety of handcrafted jewelry and Christmas ornaments in her lovely studio. I particularly love this set, aren't they adorable? Lots more sets available, so check them out in her Christmas in July sale section. You do not want to miss these!

Christmas Tree Ornaments, set of 5, Santas and Bears

Jewelry by AnnMarie Loves to make jewelry and it certainly shows in her work. Bright, colourful and so many to choose from, I do not know where to begin. AnnMarie is putting her whole studio on sale for this Christmas in July shopping event, but if you want to see some really special items, check out the Artfire Christmas in July section. You will be glad you did so!

Clear Glass Pendant Necklace

Bits & Peaces Just loves to quilt, and it certainly shows in the quality of her work. She mainly does rag quilting, however she also offers the more traditional style as well. Just look at these wonderful Christmas stockings! Custom requests are most welcome in her studio, and also makes place mats and table runners in the same style. Strip Quilting. Stockings can be made with or without a name attached to it, done in a simple satin stitch. !

Patchwork Hodgepodge Christmas Stocking Custom orders

4 more days until the Christmas in July sale event on Artfire!

2010-07-09T05:00:00.001-04:00

Rose Tree Creations who loves yarn and to crochet, has the most adorable creations I have seen in a long time. Her handmade crochet Christmas ornaments are a must for anyone who wants to give the special child(ren) a special gift that will last for years to come.

She will be offering daily specials during this event, so pop don't forget to pop by her studio and see what she has for the children on your list!

Green Monster Head Crochet ornament

SarasinArt Jewely artist who loves all things natural. She incorporates various beautiful natural things from all over the world into her jewelry, and is sure to have something for everyone in her gorgeous studio.

Now just take a look at this wonderfully earthy piece, sure to look awesome during your evening out with friends.

Picasso jasper soocha jade black onyx necklace bracelet earrings set

Andrus Gardens Quilts , browsing through this studio is like taking a long nature walk. Using nature to inspire art, she handpaints or sunpaints her own fabrics creating the most gorgeous colours you just cannot find in any fabric store.

During this Christmas in July sale even she will be offering 20% off selected items. You may want to bookmark this studio so you don't miss out on Your favorite piece!

Seafoam Blue Green Mixed Ferns Sunprint Art Quilt

Chamorita Essentials offers handmade mineral makeup, homemade soap, body lotions and facial care products. She does not do any testing on animals, instead tries them out on herself and a long list of friends and family who believe as she does that natural handmade is the way to go, most especially with bath and beauty products.
She will be offering 10% discount for her Christmas in July selections during this event.

Scarlett Eyeshadow

Remember, this event runs from July 12th - 25th! See you tomorrow with more great studios from Artfire.com

Only 5 more days til the Christmas in July event on Artfire!

2010-07-08T05:00:00.003-04:00

Dianes Dangles has found the best stress reliever and loves to share the results. Using her skilled silversmithing techniques with a love of color, she creates these wonderful pieces of jewelry for all to enjoy.

During this Christmas in July event she is offering 10% off Sterling silver pieces, and the rest of her studio will be from 20% to 30% off

Seraphinite Green Gemstone Sterling Silver Pendant

Gingerbell's Gifts Offers a wonderful selection of goodies in her studio from bath and body, to jewelry to candles. She is sure to have something for everyone on your list!

During this even Gingerbell's is offering free shipping on all jewelry purchases

Chistmas Tree Gift box Ornament

Flame Fly Creations creater and designer of custom jewelry and leather items for over 25 years, is offering a wonderful selection of Christmas gift ideas for under $20 USD.

Check out this stunning Necklace!

Triple copper glitter rose charm necklace

Grammie's Krafty Kabana Loves to crochet and it certainly shows in her wonderful selection of handmade goodies in her studio. Show someone your love by giving them the gift of handmade!

Medium Handmade Twilight Black and Pink Purse

Come back tomorrow for some more wonderful artists, from Artfire.com!

More Artfire Studios participating in Christmas in July event

2010-07-07T05:00:00.004-04:00

The ever trendy Blue Green and Pink jewelry designer loves to create jewelry for all ages. Here is just one of her gorgeous pieces that will be available in her studio for the Christmas in July event on Artfire. She is offering 15% off during this event.

Glass ball necklace

Mothers Love Jewelry From the love of being a mother and being able to work at home creating her gorgeous jewelry, offers something for everyone. Here is just a sample of her stunning creations. During this event she is offering 20% off for her customers.

Crystal Pearl Bridal Set

MJ's Kraze A wonderful selection of paper crafts. She will be offering a "Buy one get free shipping " special for the Christmas in July event.

I just fell in love with this particular one!

Black and white Peace Christmas Card

Maggie McMane Jewelry Designs Jewelry artist with a passion for colours and luxury, you certainly do not want to miss checking out her studio for some gorgeous pieces.

Ruby Antiqued Sterling Silver Dangle Earrings

Don't forget to pop by tomorrow and see what else I have for you!

The countdown to Christmas In July on Artfire begins

2010-07-06T05:00:00.005-04:00

With only 7 days until this event starts, here is a preview of 4 studios who are participating. (In no particular order!)

Customizedjust4you, a lady of exceptional talent! Crafting and selling her wonderful creations before she was 8 years old, she is certainly not only gifted and talented, she is also very passionate about her work. As you can see when you browse her studio you can just tell that anything you choose to purchase as a gift for someone will be of the highest quality and full of the love and care she puts into everything she does.

During this event she is offering to pay the shipping fees for anyone in the USA who buys one of these fabulous quilted postcards.

Off to Grandma's House Quilted embroidery Postcard

Julie Clark Art Artist extraordinaire is not afraid of trying anything new. She works in various mediums and styles from classical to impressionistic, from painting to the use of mixed fibres; you know for certain that she has something to please everyone in her art studio.

Here is just one of her many offerings available now in her studio.

Thread Painting, OOAK, canvas mounted for hanging, 8x10 titled Beach

B. A Kidagain, Definately a Glowing Artist, who loves to bring out the kid in all of us. Check out her wonderful glow in the dark ornaments. I am certain you will find one for everyone on your list in her studio.

SnowPeople Glow in the dark ornament

Small Comforts, a lady who loves to quilt and it truly shows in her work. She really wants her pieces to be loved and used, so she ensures they are most durable. For great gift ideas check out her studio, you will be glad you did!

Red Patchwork quilted flower Table Runner

Don't forget to pop by tomorrow for 4 more studios with wonderful gift ideas!

Twelve Days of Christmas in July Sale Event on Artfire!

2010-07-05T05:00:00.000-04:00

I know, it is a bit early to be thinking of snow, ice and Christmas (summer just beginnning and all). However, if you are anything like me, you prefer to get a good start on Christmas shopping so that when that time of year arrives you can spend it more enjoyably visiting friends, baking and taking in the lovely sights of the yard decorations people are displaying.

So, with that in mind, are You starting your shopping early for Christmas this year? Here are just a few of the awesome Studios on Artfire that are participating in this year's event that runs from July 12th to July 25th.

Bits & Peaces
B. A. Kidagain
CUSTOMIZEDJUST4YOU
Dianes Dangles
Ecclectic LadyLand
FlameFlyCreations
Gingerbell's Gifts
Grammie's Krafty Kabana
Handcrafted Jewelry by Blue Green and Pink
Jewelry by AnnMarie
Jewelz Creatives
Julie Clark Art
MJ's Kraze
Katie Jeans Handcrafted Jewelry
Maggie McMane Jewelry Designs
Mother's Love Jewelry
Rose Tree Creations
Sewing Happy Place
Shields Photography
Small Comforts
The Bookmark-et

Please feel free to stop by every day for a special look at the goodies these studios are offereing and their special deals for this event. Each day I will feature 3 of these awesome studios!

Support handmade and your local economy!

2010-07-03T05:57:00.000-04:00

Ok, I know, handmade can be (and should be!!) more expensive than purchasing mass produced products. Please keep in mind though, the only reason why those factory sweatshop made items can be sold at such cheap prices is due to the fact that they are able to get their supplies at a much reduced rate.

Personally, I much prefer to give and receive items that are handmade. I know that the person who has made it has put in time, effort and a lot of love into their work. Most of us take a lot of pride in our work, and we can be quite critical of it. We seem to think that the tiniest flaw makes it "not good enough" to even consider trying to sell it to someone else. What we tend to forget is that what you buy in those box stores or at the dollar stores are not perfect. When was the last time you had bought a set of glasses, only to put them in the dishwasher the first time and find that at least one has broken/cracked? Or you purchased a lovely top and when you washed it the colours ran or there was that horrible machine oil smell from the print on the t-shirt?

And even big ticket items like houses and cars are not exempt from the "flaws" from mass produced parts. Of course I am certain that quality control does try to ensure that their products are as good as they can be, and for the most part they are. But they certainly are not put under the microscope as much as the Indie Artisan is.

Perhaps a better way of looking at it would be "keep our money in our own local economy" rather than getting the best bang for our buck. Supporting your local farmer, your local small factory made goods (if possible) and your local craftsmen whether it is grandma down the road knitting hats and scarves to the lady who makes her own jams and jellies.

Happy Canada Day!

2010-07-01T05:30:00.001-04:00

In spirit of Canada Day, I would like to show you a few favourite handmade items of mine.

O Canada Twirly twirliewhirlies

coffee cup sleeve BoutiqueKarma

Canada wire wrapped Maple Leaf Necklace moonandback beads

Angel feather earrings Tri coloured mountain man creations

original aceo baby dragon Highoncraft

Clay Heart and brass spiral necklace Emburr

Handmade Organic Catnip toys and Shopping bag holders

2010-06-30T05:31:00.001-04:00

Rather than bombard you with a posting every day with my newest listings in my Etsy shop, I have been saving them up to post once a week or so. So with that in mind, here they are!

Catnip toys:

Yellow Zombie kitty organic catnip toy

Posie the zombie kitty organic catnip toy

organic catnip pillow

organic catnip toy pillow

Grocery shopping bag holders:

funky tie dye shopping bag holder

fabric plastic bag dispenser

Undiscoved Artists on Artfire!

2010-06-29T05:02:00.002-04:00

One of my fellow bloggers from Artfire runs monthly features introducing new undiscovered studios and allows viewers to vote for their favourites. I have found lots of new Artisans by watching her blog, maybe you will too!

Here is her June favourites!:

Discover ArtFire Studios
and Vote for your Favorites

I have been featured!

2010-06-28T21:10:00.000-04:00

Thank you Andrea W Designs for such a wonderful article! Please check out her blog at http://andreawdesigns.blogspot.com/

Gearing up for the Christmas In July Sale Event on Artfire!

2010-06-26T07:49:00.000-04:00

Are you ready for this? Every year people start shopping for their Christmas gifts earlier and earlier, trying to find just the "right" item. Sometimes that can be quite the challenge!

So as you go through your list of family and friends, please do not forget your cat, as they are most definately a valuable member of your family.

Keeping that in mind, I have been slowly adding a few things in my studio for this year's Christmas in July sale event on Artfire. So far I have added some adorable 7 inch plush Christmas stocking toys, stuffed with my very own homegrown organic catnip. (I also have some new catnip toy pillows and a cute little zombie kitten toy)

Red repurposed catnip toy Christmas stocking

Upcycled bright red with snowflakes catnip toy Christmas stocking

Green with snowflakes catnip toy Christmas stocking

Blue with snowflakes organic catnip toy Christmas stocking

Patchy, organic catnip toy Zombie kitty

organic catnip toy kicker pillow

Quilted coasters, table runners and placemats

2010-06-20T06:12:00.002-04:00

I do love the look and feel of handmade quilted objects. Right now I am making rag quilted coasters, table runners and placemats. As time goes on, I will be adding more to my Artfire studio, http://jewelz_creatives.artfire.com/ so keep your eyes out! You never know what I will come up with next.

lemons & limes rag quilted coasters

Country style Rag quilted fabric coasters set of 2

7 pc Table runner and placemat set for your summer parties

Fabric holders for plastic grocery shopping bags

2010-06-19T08:10:00.000-04:00

So you are tired of taking up valuable space storing those pesky grocery shopping bags? Well, here is a convenient yet decorative way of organizing them. You can have one of these in each room of the house where you may wish to have them, such as the bathroom, laundry room, nursery, kitchen, hallway (by the dog leash) garage and even keep one in your car.

Now available in my Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/jewelzodonnell

Upcycled Black and white fabric shopping bag holder

Fabric plastic grocery bag dispenser wicked waves

Psychedelic fabric plastic bag holder

Plastic bag dispenser holder paw prints

Pet waterproof carrier mats and quilted blankets

2010-06-17T05:47:00.000-04:00

Waterproof pet carrier mats, and quilted pet blankets now available in my Artfire studio!

waterproof moisture proof pet carrier mat

quilted tapistry pet carrier blanket

pawprint furniture protector pet mat

quilted frog pet blanket

patchwork quilted pet blanket

small waterproof pet carrier mat

Catnip Free cat teaser toys

2010-06-15T17:47:00.000-04:00

I have moved all of my catnip free cat teaser toys and my little pink bunny (also catnip free) to my shop on Artfire.com!

Spider cat facinator

Ladybug cat teaser toy

Cat teaser wand toy

Cat facinator wand toy

Cat stalking toy Catnip free

catnip free teaser toy

pink bunny catnip free cat toy

Newest in my shops on Etsy and Artfire!

2010-06-11T17:35:00.000-04:00

plastic bag dispenser

Ta da! Here is a really cool way to brighten up your kitchen and store those pesky grocery bags as well. I listed it on Etsy today.

And to match the quilted frog blanket I have in my pet accessories section in my Artfire shop, a cute little organic catnip toy.

catnip toy pillow

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

One week later

2010-06-10T19:29:00.000-04:00

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=1484517

I just could not resist it! I had to upgrade to Pro at Artfire. And here is my newest, and I do mean newest, listing.

Just love the colours, they really POP

Retro tie dye fabric grocery bag holder

Slowly filling up my Artfire shop

2010-06-08T06:35:00.001-04:00

Here are some more of my items moved to my shop on Artfire.

For the house:

Lilac floral plastic bag dispenser

Birdhouses plastic grocery bag dispenser

Bamboo Storm Windchimes

Floral Fantasy rag quilted coasters

The migration continues

2010-06-06T07:10:00.000-04:00

Here are a few more items I have moved over to Artfire. My cats are dissappointed though, as they were hoping that I would allow them to have these LOL

Catnip toys:

Catnip toy frog

Little blue monster

plaid catnip flower toy

catnip toy bunny

The trials and tribulations of learning SEO and the new Google search

2010-06-05T08:34:00.000-04:00

I have recently been checking out various venues for showing my handmade craft items. Hearing so many good things about Artfire, I decided to check them out. I just love how they have it set up! They offer so many options to their members, up to and including clear instructions on SEO, ways to have sales and offer coupons, and the ease of the one page listing, it was a clear choice for me. And that is only mentioning a few things I love there.

So, I have started moving some of my products from Etsy to Artfire. Now, I have no plans for the immediate future of shutting down my Etsy shop, but I also think it is a wise thing for me to have more than one option.

I also found that within hours of listing an item on Artfire, that it was crawled by Google. Whereas, with Etsy sometimes it took days. And, even when my Etsy shop was crawled, I very rarely show up on Google search. In fact, most times when I performed a Google search for my products, only a couple shops from Etsy showed up. Most often they were very popular shops with wonderful products that have been active for a long time, but for someone like me, that was not a good thing. It is hard enough getting "out there" on the internet, but having to compete with established shops is a bit discouraging.

The recent changes Google has made with their search, using shorter url tails, and SEO, etc is a bit daunting to someone like me. I know, if I wish to survive on the internet and hopefully prosper, I do need to learn this. With the help of Artfire and their wonderful support staff it looks like this potentially painful process will become much easier.

So, without further ado, here is my new Artfire shop, if you would like to take a peek!

A couple things I have moved over there (I will only show a couple a day until I catch up):

Coasters:

Lemonade rag style quilted coasters

Black and white vase mat coasters

Talk about eco-friendly!

2010-05-24T09:34:00.001-04:00

I spoke the other day about needing to find someone with a tiller to work up our garden. Well, I could not find one, so my dear husband decided to turn the soil by hand with a shovel. It took him about 3 hours, taking numerous breaks (it was very hot and humid out). I must say, he felt very proud of himself, the sence of accomplishment he felt when he was done.

I suggested to him that since he does not want to use straw this year to help keep the weeds down, he will have to do this on a regular basis, probably as often as every other day. Especially if it rains!

We are hoping that there will be garden centers open today, even though it is the long weekend here in Ontario and most places will be closed. It would be wonderful to plant the garden this year!

Flowers Galore!

2010-05-23T07:08:00.008-04:00

Just a few pics of my flowers that I took yesterday afternoon, after the rain stopped.

May Long Weekend!

2010-05-22T14:39:00.003-04:00

Woo hoo! It is the long weekend! All winter long I have been dreaming of this weekend, making plans for our garden and what new things I will be doing with my vast flowerbeds.

Now, it has been a bit of a slow start. I found out about 2 weeks ago thata the gentleman I normally get to till my garden sold his equipment so no longer is available. I have been searching for someone else, but no luck so far. I did find a wonderful little tracter tiller, from the 70's I believe, but the asking price is $3,500. That is a bit steep for my budget. I do believe my husband will be talking to the owner and see if he would rent it to us for a couple hours though.

For the last couple months we have been weeding the flower gardens and they are looking stunning! The tulips are almost over as well as the daffodils, but there are a few hardy ones still hanging in. The irises are huge and putting out hundreds of flowers, and they smell so sweet. The blue (and some pink!) forget-me-nots are all over the place. Filling in some big empty spaces as I had hoped. Little pansies, wood lilies, coral bells etc are popping up here and there, and the lupins have migrated to a few other locations. The lilies-of-the-valley have acclimatized very well to their new spots as well as the bleeding hearts.

My lilies are growing up straight and stong and it looks like there will be an abundance of flowers for me this year.

Off to talk to the person who owns that little tractor tiller now, wish me luck! (Dear hubby decided it is up to me *le sigh*) As I have a lot of compost all ready to put in, I need to get things rolling.

Have a great weekend!