May Blogger of the Month: CreateAThought

When I first looked at this shop, besides the beautiful and interesting items in this Shop, what really struck me was her “Creative Thoughts”. As one who loves to write my thoughts down in a journal, I found this quote to be one my favorites: “Everyday you are creating thoughts. Thoughts that are interesting and beautiful, profound and deep, silly and funny. Whatever your thought style is, they should be recorded.”

CREATEaTHOUGHT's mission is to help you do just that. As she states in her bio, her shop provides just such items that will fit your personal writing and recording style. As each journal is created to be unique and one of a kind, CreateAThought is willing to create a personalized journal (or item) to fit your personality. I want to be able to provide you with something that is not mass produced. You will not have to worry about someone saying "I have that same journal" !

Besides the unique and personal journal in this shop, she sells many other fun and unique items. As one who likes to experiment in various crafts, she also states that “I like making things, and like to try making new things at least once!” As you browse through this interesting shop, you will also find cards, purses, magnets, frames, prints, any of which can be personalized to your own style. As she is constantly adding new items I suggest you mark this shop as one to keep an eye on!

Another interesting quote from her shop which I love “Life is too short to have boring things in your life, welcome to my shop full of color and things for you to enjoy, and make your life bright! It was hard trying to choose which items to showcase in CreateAThought's May Blogger of the Month article.

A Fairy Tale Life

Me ( age 2) and my sister (age 4)

When I read our latest Carnival topic on Fairy Tales, we were asked which was one of our favorite Fairy Tale. So many different tales came to mind. Most Fairy Tales begin with “Once Upon a Time”; and end with, “They lived happily ever after.” Strangely, as a child I never really recognized that concept when reading or being read one of the many fairy tales that exist. Truthfully, I always found them to be dark, mysterious, and at times quite terrifying. I guess one could relate them to a theme of “Dungeons and Dragons”. The one that always stayed in my mind was Hansel and Gretel. Two young children filled with the fear of a mother who never seemed to love them, and a father forced by his failure to be able to provide for the family. The parent’s only solution was to be rid of the children. Listening to their parents plans night after night, the children saved up some bread crumbs and as they ran away from home, their idea of spreading bread crumbs along the way to help them find their way back home was thwarted by the birds that ate their crumbs. Hungry and tired they came across a most unique house in the woods; one that would attract any small, hungry and unwanted child. A beautiful “Gingerbread House” where they were greeted by a most welcoming owner. The woman not only invited them in, she fed them and provided them with the love they were so desperately seeking. It was only a matter of time before the real person emerged; a woman who used Hansel and Gretel to do chores, only to find out that her sole purpose in helping them was to meet her own needs, and eventually planning to cook them for a meal for herself. As the old wicked woman prepared to push them into the fire, they in turn were able to cast her into the fire.

I don’t exactly know why this one particular “Fairy Tale” was and has been so vivid in my memory. As a small child, you wonder how a mother could just cast aside her children so easily, and I never understood why their father did not stand up for them. Yes, Hansel and Gretel’s father finally did come searching for them and saved them, but I wonder why they had to suffer such hardships to find love within their own family.

What is so sad is that today we so often see small unwanted children deserted by their parents; mother’s who kill their own children to satisfy their own needs. We see children starving around the world, beaten and starving as they are left to exist on their own. I wonder if these small children even know or knew what a “fairy tale” was; yet they are left to live such a life of unknown, hoping for that “Happily ever after” which almost never comes. As I think back, I wonder if this particular tale of “Hansel and Gretel” had some deep inner meaning within my subconscious. For those of you who read my blogs, you often hear me speak of my wonderful grandparents who raised my sister and me. My father left before I was a year old (which was also the last time I ever saw him), and my mother who was much too young to sacrifice her life to raise her own children. So perhaps I have lived in my own little Gingerbread House, deserted by parents; but my “Happily Ever After” came in the guise of loving grandparents, who made me the person I am today.

Wordless Wednesday

Our new Kitty has finally arrived - Jada!

My Secret Garden

I have always dreamt of having a sprawling English Garden with fields of wildflowers and fragrant rambling roses climbing the high walls surrounding it. One of my favorite books, and that of my children, has always been “The Secret Garden”. Locked away for so many years, the Garden became a vast mixture of overgrown weeds, ivy and dying roses. Through the healing powers of the minds of two small sickly children, the Garden as well as the children begins to thrive. The love the children give to the Garden is shown in it’s abundance of growth of roses, ivy, trees and beautiful wild flowers. The magical feeling one gets just walking through a beautiful garden with its fragrant smells and colors, is always one of peacefulness and content.

Although I only have a small terrace, but lucky enough to have full sunlight, I am able to grow the most beautiful, fragrant roses, and wildflowers, pansies, and heather all spring and summer long. Last year my roses actually lasted until November. One of the most beautiful color rose we grew, we ones called “Black Cherry” (shown in the photo). So as I sit out there in the quietness of my own little private garden, I can close my eyes and picture myself in my own English Garden with ivy and rambling roses growing up over the roof of my house.

Carnival: Going Green

Well, I think I will have to combine both questions on my blog this month. Actually, green is not exactly one of my favorite colors in case you haven’t noticed when browsing through my shop. Instinctively, when I am buying my crystals, my eyes automatically turn towards colors that are me – pinks, garnet, siam, topaz (my birthstone) and purples. I imagine if we all look at our shops we will find that our colors tend to run towards what we favor. Although, I cannot be prejudiced in my choice of colors, so I admit I do have a few I have green items in my shop.
I think nature is one of God’s greatest gift to us; Spring is one of the most beautiful times of the year, with all the tiny green buds starting to burst forward. The snow is gone and the grass is getting greener by the day. Yet with all this beauty nature has given us, how sad that we take so much for granted and completely abuse it. Going back to the1900’s, when factories were cropping up everywhere, who knew at that time that our rivers and lakes would become the dumping ground for the many chemicals that manufacturers’ were using. Unfortunately, it has taken almost 100 years for us to figure out the destruction and devastation that this has caused around the world. Fish are dying at record numbers, cancer abounding in certain areas that were at one time a dumping ground for all sorts of Chemicals. Beaches which were once the pride of our community are now off limits, who ever knew that water was supposed to be blue, looking across the sound (near where I live) the water is a murky green, and, not to forget what all of this chemical dumping and pollution has caused by our own greediness – global warming! What can we do? We are all guilty, and we all need to participate in the cleaning up of our world.
Well, besides the obvious, not smoking; making sure our cars are not one of the culprits; not using all those chemical cleaners that are destroying our ozone layer. Many of these manufacturers are now producing products designed to help the environment, if we take a second while doing our weekly shopping we can find these (green) products among the shelves of pollutants! I have photographed some products which if we all start to use, will perhaps keeps keep our air cleaner and our trees bursting with color for our children and grandchildren, and many more generations to follow to enjoy. So as I end this blog I think it only appropriate to leave you with this quote from Kermit the Frog: “It ain’t easy being green”!

March Blogger of the Month: DesignbyNora

Our March Etsy Blogger is Nora, whose shop, designbynora.etsy.com, has a combination of adorable polymer clay earrings, and great handbags.
Just graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Art, taking mainly Graphic Design, I am sure we will be seeing a lot more interesting items to come in her shop. So far she seems to be on the right track. Congratulations Nora! ps – I love reading also!

These are a few of the items I really liked from her shop. I swear my mother had the same bag as "Mabel" the one with the blue flower in the 50's.

Wordless Wednesday

Our newest addition - well, you can say "aaahhhhhh" - it is a Bengal Kitty - we should be getting it in 2 weeks.

Carnival: Spring Cometh Forth

"O, how this spring of love resembleth

The uncertain glory of an April day;

Which now shows all the beauty of the sun,

And by and by a cloud takes all away." ...Hamlet

As I walk down the brick steps of my house, I jump over the remaining remnants of winter’s fury. Although Spring is just 2 weeks away, last night we were besieged with another blast of Winter’s folly. As I am reaching the end of our walkway, out of the corner of my eye, I spy what I have been looking for. There quietly peeking its little head up from the softly fallen snow, are little flecks of purple. The first sign of Spring, a crocus flower bravely pushing its way through the cold ground and snow. Ever since I have been a small child, this routine is played out year after year. For forty years, that first crocus has appeared in the same spot miraculously.
As the robins start to chirp, the buds adorning the branches, and the days seem a little longer, a whole new feeling begins to emerge. Spring signifies a new beginning, an awakening, life. So as the Sun is beginning to warm the days, my walks are not as brisk; but I take the time to to look around and enjoy what God and Mother Nature has given us. Life to begin anew, birds merrily chirping their joyous songs as they build their nests to await the birth of their new little ones, and I look for that crocus that has grown with me and within me, to step outside of our closed up houses, and into the beauty of that fresh air that comes along with Spring’s awakening.