oooh I am etsy seller of the week!

sounds good, doesn't it?

mmmmm, seller of the week!

Sadly not of all of etsy, but in Rightasrain's blog http://rightasraincreations.blogspot.com/

check it out!

More news today - my son opened his etsy shop to sell his band's CD, due out this week.

www.aScandalinBohemia.etsy.com

kids and tests

One of the reasons I've just left teaching is the (to my mind) ridiculous number of tests our primary kids have to endure. In my county, they still have to sit the 11+ to determine whether they are suitable for grammar schools.

I just had a look at a sample question...

(27 [53] 19) (23 [59] 29) (15 [ ] 34)

Find the missing number.

if it takes you as long as it did me, pity those poor 10 year olds in September :-(

(answers supplied by email!)

However often you measure a bean plant, it won't grow any quicker.

Up the Lone Piners!

I've been working on my old website the last few days - I'm beginning to think I never want to see html ever again!

It's based on the children's books by Malcolm Saville - sort of countrified Famous Five - but maybe worth a look for the photos of the British countryside even if you don't know the books. I've had holidays in the three of the settings now, and try to find the locations of the stories.

As I said to my son just now, when I was a teen it was a toss-up as to whether I would marry David Morton (Lone Pine club leader) or Aragorn from LotR.

Enjoy!

http://members.lycos.co.uk/heatherml/Up%20the%20Lone%20Piners/

Is there no end to this woman's obsession...

with treasuries? LOL I keep being in the right place at the right time. It finally dawned on me I can show the alternates as well on here:


http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=17116

You might notice I've taken the somewhat frowned upon option of including one of my own items - the little white scottie dog - I'll wait and see if I get complaints! Frankly I dont see why I shouldn't, after all the other inclusions are all getting a bit of free promoting?

Another day...

another treasury (I must have had withdrawal pangs!) I like the message in the first picture - What will YOU do with the day?

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=57884

What I did...was clear out my personal belongings from my classroom. That's it now. No going back when my sick leave runs out. I am now an ex-teacher. Part of me (hell, most of me) wants to feel sad, but I need to look at this as a new beginning.

Sunset followed by sunrise.

What will I do next?

I'm back - what have I missed?

woohoo - home to my own bed, a "proper" cup of tea (Devon water tasted funny!) 57 emails and an etsy sale.
So what was the first thing I did? Yep, curated a treasury! LOL
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=16926

Holiday time :-)

I'm off for a week in a cottage in Devon, by the sea, tomorrow. Dilemma - how much knitting/crochet can I take without seriously annoying DH? We'll be out walking most days, and eating out most evenings - but that still leaves a lot of time when I could be crafting!

What do YOU do, dear reader?

In the end I've decided to take a couple (well, ok, 3) balls of yarn, crochet hook(s) and a pattern for a hat. I'm not very experienced at following crochet patterns yet so I thought it'd be a good opportunity. After all, I won't be able to give up and move on to something else.

And then I thought I might as well take some knitting needles so I can make some flowers while I'm at it.

Stuffing? Think I might be pushing my luck LOL

Have a good week folks - it's going to be bad enough being without my computer, I can't be expected to go cold turkey on crafting as well.

I need stuffing!

Today was going to be the day I went to my supplier to get new stuffings as I seem to have been knitting/crocheting to excess lately. The good new is that I phoned first because it is really pouring with rain and I didn't want a wasted trip.

"No, we don't do the big bags of fibre filling any more!"

That's not good. It was really good value - I don't want to be buying small bags on a weekly basis :-(

"No we don't sell the granules for juggling balls any more - there's no demand for them"

That's REALLY not good. It took me forever to find somewhere to buy them. I've looked on ebay (postage is huge - they're heavy. That's the point!) and I've tried every craft shop for miles around. Doesn't it make you mad when they say there's no demand? Hello - I'm here. I just demanded. Don't I count?

So- better start thinking of things to make that don't need stuffing :-(

Tw hours later, I've searched online, I've rang around - finally I decide to phone my original source again and ask them to give me the details of the supplier they used to get it from, maybe I can go direct? After a cross-purposes chat of some length (turns out I spoke to the village idiot earlier) they DO have what I want, they just thought I meant something else.

Hello Greengrocer, can I have some carrots?
No, we don't stock apples.

Argh! Still can't get it today though, she has to take it home to weigh.

Presumably on the kitchen scales.

the footie goal RIP

Remember the goal I bought to stop nextdoor's kid smashing my fence? Somehow I think I'm going to have to think of a new plan!






On another subject - it's suddenly dawned on me I've started listing for Christmas and yet hadn't put up any of my Halloween stuff. duh! One witchy later...we're up and running!

new shop!

Last Christmas I sold a lot of slightly risque knits over on "that" online auction site - so thought they'll probably sell on etsy too. I don't want to upset anyone, so I've opened a new shop www.naughtyknits.etsy.com specially for the naughty-but-nice stuff. I must say I'm amazed at how much more quickly the views are going up!!!

Having had a look around the "mature" etsy shops, mine actually aren't that naughty anyway!

Fame at last!

I was interviewed by Sallers today...strangely, you can now find out more about me from her blog than in my own :-)

http://sallers.blogspot.com/2008/07/interview-with-niftyknits.html

*** 4th July Sale ***

All items in my shop http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5829594 come post free today to celebrate my friends over the pond's holiday :-) Sale extended throughout the weekend!

I was blind...yet now I can see!

Ever had one of those days? You go upstairs, then just stand there because you can't remember why you went up there?

You look everywhere for your glasses, then find them on your head?

Make tea, leave it to get cold?

Ask a question on a forum thread, but fail to notice the answer on the previous page? http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5692069&page=4

Thanks to MyMy, my blindness has been cured! I now have google alerts, so every time some wonderful person mentions NiftyKnits in their blog (yes, even if it IS me) I will find out about it so I can send choklit. (Ok, that last bit's a lie - but I will send gratitude :-D)
http://www.google.com/alerts

I've also discovered another very talented Etsian - check out MyMy's shop http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=21395 (I think it was the "girls with glasses rock harder" button that cured me!)

xx

Can I speak to the manager, please?

Yep, today was the day.

I'd made my appointment, I'd had loads of advice from lovely etsians http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5693412 , I'd packed (and repacked!) my selection from my inventory (with the rest in the car just in case) and I was wearing my crochet spiral earrings.

Sadly the farm shop manager said that although they did carry quite a few crafts, it just didn't sell - but I was very welcome to set up a stall when they have their next open day (when there are always loads of families)

So - no massive order for knitted oast houses and piglets, but a real confidence boost. I know now that I CAN approach shops with confidence. The lovely girl serving in the shop even remembered one of my items pictured on the business card I left last week (which confirms my card "works") and was very impressed with the item when I showed it to her "in the flesh".

Yay me :-D