Colours of Summer #Etsy

This was a treasury for the On Fire for Handmade team on Etsy. The theme was to be Blue and Orange which always make me think of summer, hence the name. I always think these two colours are so stunning together with the warmth of the orange offset by the coolness of the blue.
I am not only doing all these treasuries to help promote the various people and teams, a major part of it, but also to try and get a European Front Page on Etsy. I figure that the more I do the more I will refine the process and improve slowly but surely. Hopefully I manage it before I get frustrated at the lack of progress and give up.
Yesterday was a miserable day that only got worse, weather wise. Inside though it was perfectly fine. My sister and niece came to visit and we spent an enjoyable hour and half drinking coffee and catching up. Then it was catching up on a bit of housework, don`t want to overdo it, some crafting and then computer time.
I was doing treasuries and updating my website. I was going to put playing around with it because in reality that`s what I was doing. Trying, and failing, for improvements. Still each time I learn a bit more, I`ll get there in the end.
As usual, to see a bigger picture or a description, just click on the item to view it in the shop.
ENJOY!!!

The colours remind me of a holiday
a visit on a bright summers day.
Visiting a volcano way up high
I almost felt I could touch the sky.
Blue sky above and cloud below
it sounds very strange I know.
It looked just like a frothy sea
of white capped waves to me.
Clouds everywhere, like cotton wool
moving with the winds push and pull.
To see it was quite a surprise
took some time for me to realise
just what I was seeing, standing there
on a volcano in the suns bright glare.
A volcano that`s remained asleep
with locals hoping that it will keep
slumbering, an attraction for tourists to see
and a vital part of the local economy!!



Art by Jae. Nuray Aytac.

Margalita Mosaic Art. Barbara Szepesi Szucs.

Retro68. MaijaFeja Shop.

CatsAndSheepsAccessories. Alpaca4US.

Berkshire Bowls. CrochetMiracles Shop.

Spring Colors. Simply V Designs.

Designed by Seragun. Maries Corner.

Nikki. SenARTPhotography.

Hope you enjoyed today`s gorgeous display of bright and beautiful summer colours from the creative crafter`s of Etsy.
Thanks for visiting, please come back soon.

Bees #FolksyFriday

Not quite sure what set me off in this direction today but I had an urge to blog about the bees.
Bees are amazing the way they fulfil a vital role in our ecosystem. I have been doing some reading about them. Some sites say they pollinate a third of the food we eat and others say up to 75% of pollination is done by the bees. Either way they are vital to the continuation of the human race. Without bees our world would be a very different place.
I think most people have heard that the bee population has been drastically reducing over several years now and scientists etc have been trying their best to find out why. The main culprit seems to be pesticides, what a surprise! No surprise either that the problem continues while more money is paid out for researching the problem. The pesticides doing the most damage have been identified but as usual governments can`t make up their minds to get a bit of backbone and do the right thing.
As usual the company`s that make them don`t care who or what the pesticides kill as long as they continue to make money.
Wouldn`t it be wonderful if we had governments that put the needs of their people before their own and wonderful if big company`s put the needs of people and the planet before greed? One day maybe, hopefully before it`s too late.
As usual, to see a bigger picture or a description, just click on the item to view it in the shop.
ENJOY!!!

Bees buzzing here and there
seemingly without a care.
They work so hard making honey
and then it`s sold for money.
The bees are dying, all for greed,
as we try to grow more from our seed.
Pesticides are damaging the land,
all of them, each and every brand.
Without the bees where would we be?
Nowhere as far as I can see.
They produce honey so pure
it`s been called a miracle cure.
Good for our bodies and great to eat,
it`s healing power can`t be beat.
It`s being used to heal infection
as well as giving immune protection.
Summer is coming and you really ought
to stop a minute and give some thought
to save the bees instead of killing
them, because they are always willing.
They`ve always given so much to us
busily buzzing and working without a fuss!!



Carole`s Glass. Paper beagle.

Bumbleblue. Little Pip Designs.

Cherry Bee.



Wudwerx.

Lorna Bateman Embroidery. Ginger`s Altered Bits.

Mog`s Togs Cat Collars. Dandelion`s Gallery.

Hippie Otter Designs. Beadish Delight.

Hope you enjoyed today`s wonderful array of bee creations to get you buzzing, from the crafter`s of Folksy.
Thanks for visiting, please come back soon.

Orange & Turquoise #Etsy

This was a treasury on Etsy for the winner of the British Crafter`s shop of the week. This week it was Di of Adien Crafts.
Her shop bio says:
I joined Etsy in 2010 but have only just opened my Shop here (April 2012) My shop name Adien Crafts is an anagram of my name Diane. I'm in the UK in a small town called Keynsham, half way between Bristol and Bath.
I love to make things, I sell mostly jewellery online but I also make cards and do a lot of sewing. Semi-precious gemstones are my favourites to work with, I love what Mother Nature has given us to work with, some stones are just amazing with their colours and patterns so I enjoy designing pieces to show them off in their full glory. I also make pieces using other gorgeous beads I come across and can't resist!
I love trying new techniques and the great thing about craft work is that there is always something new to learn - the possibilities are endless!
I am happy to make anything to order, I take commissions for all sorts of pieces from simple earrings in a specific colour to my current project which is a special rosary for a special customer, please contact me if you'd like me to make something for you.
I spent many years in retail, and I enjoy a spot of retail therapy myself - my opinion is that the experience of buying should be a special one, I hope my customers all feel special from the moment they order to the moment they receive their nicely wrapped parcel.
Do have a browse through Diane`s beautiful shop but I warn you that you may not be able to resist treating yourself to her gorgeous jewellery.
Please take a little time for a browse through the other shops here too as they all have many more wonderful treasures to be discovered.
As usual, to see a bigger picture or a description, just click on the item to view it in the shop.
ENJOY!!!

Take a trip through a shop,
I promise it`s just a short hop.
Take a look, browse and sigh
good luck resisting the urge to buy.
If it all gets too much, that urge
and you have a desperate need to splurge,
remember it`s okay to have a treat
the lift it gives can`t be beat.
We have a great selection for you
it would stop anyone feeling blue.
Orange, glorious like a rising sun
reminds me of great summer fun.
Warming and cheerfully bright
always such a welcome sight.
Turquoise gleaming and glowing
a colour that seems to be flowing
like the waters of a Caribbean sea.
Always a gorgeous colour to me!!!



Adien Crafts. Pat`s Paraphenalia.

WitchWayBeauty. Creative Treasures.

TJB Dersigns. Lilly`s Altered Attic.

Nurichant. Audrey`s Cat.

Jaysmonkey. Whimsy Woo Designs.

Grace`s Favours. LarkRoadRhymes.

Ritzy Swish. Eccentric Ella.

Imogen`s Imagination. Louise Mead.

Hope you enjoyed today`s wonderful display of orange and turquoise creations from the crafter`s of Etsy. of
Thanks for visiting, please come back soon.

April Diamonds #Folksy

I have dropped into the daily listing club on Folksy several times already this month, just can`t help myself. I had already decided to show off their fab listings, it was just the when that kept eluding me. This month they are called the April Diamonds, in case you didn`t guess from the title.
Natalie of NOfkants Curios is of course presiding over the daily listing club, keeping it going, updating, chivvying and cheering everyone along. There`s a lot of time and effort keeping something like that going month after month and year after year too. I think I`m right in saying that it`s been going for 3 years now or it could be longer. Time flies when you`re having fun.
I have no doubt that before long I shall be back there joining in. It`s one of those things that becomes addictive.
Anyway what have I been doing? Catching up on computer stuff, updating sites, catching up on promotional things etc. I have, as you know written out a couple of patterns for gloves which entailed pulling them out of my head and putting them down on paper or at least computer. A mix of clear instructions and pictures, not an abbreviation in sight. I want my patterns to be ones I could follow easily, because as you know I don`t follow patterns because they always seem so complicated. I did once make some baby bootees from a pattern for someone but it was such hard going. Having to constantly count stitches and rows and recheck what abbreviations meant, took a long time with all that faffing too.
Anyway, I think I might do a Scoodie pattern next or a hat or maybe......... Aaarrgghh!! Must stop there, the brain is going into overdrive at the thought.
As usual, to see a bigger picture or a description, just click on the item to view it in the shop.
ENJOY!!!

These aren`t diamonds in the rough
these are crafters who are tough.
Working daily from morning till night
usually up and starting at first light.
Add families and jobs into the pot,
sometimes it gets far too hot.
House and home too have to be done
all before getting to the crafting fun.
Paperwork too and all stuff online
once that`s done it`s all fine.
Except by now it`s almost too late
this is often a crafter`s fate.
So much to do and so little time
not getting to crafting is a crime.
Life for us can be so very contrary.
like the amount of time available can vary.
When we have the ideas, time disappears
when the ideas vanish spare time appears..
One of the many vagaries of life
like too much fun or too much strife!!



Dottery Pottery.

 78 Happiness Place.

Bonny Lass.

I Love Sparkly Stuff. Cheerymishmash.

Wisteria Cottage Crafts.
.

Ellabella.

Whimsy Woo Designs. GewddusArt.

Hope you enjoyed today`s marvellous display of creations from the April Diamonds on Folksy.
Thanks for visiting, please come back soon.