Wordless Weekend

Fall blooming camilla from my Grandmother's bush that's over 30 years old.

Revamping My Shop

As the holidays draw near and I have a little time before things really get crazy, I thought I would take some time to examine my shop and perhaps change things up a bit.

This summer was a really busy time for me, both for my family and my shop. Due to time constraints, I let myself get into a rut of doing the same thing over and over.

Here are some of the things I critiqued in my shop:

1. I was making the same style of book, just in different colors.

2. I used the same shots for photographing the books. Again, all the same, just different colors. As a result, I think it made my shop look rather mass-produced and less handmade.
3. I had the same background in all my shots. This was a hard call for me because I've heard having the same background gives you some unity and cohesion to your shop, but for me it seemed to contribute to the mass-production effect.

Sooo....I set to work retaking photos of some of my books, trying different angles and backgrounds. This required me to break free of my little light box as it didn't allow me to get in there with the camera for special angles.

As a result of not using the light box I battled with glare and shadows. This photo of Autumn Paisley is actually more true to color than the original one. Next to it, the original looks washed out and overexposed.

Overall I'm pleased with the new photos until the time for my next critique comes around! But that's what it's all about--learning, growing, and changing for the better.

Invasion of the Fleas

Has anyone else had a horrific time with fleas this season? Apparently this flea problem has been going on around the country for the last two years, but I have been fortunate to avoid it until now.

I have a dog who seemingly repels fleas. His "brother", a cocker spaniel attracted them like a magnet, but he (the lab-greyhound mix) rarely has any.


The last few weeks I've noticed him scratching a lot but didn't really pay much attention. He has minor skin allergies and I thought maybe he'd been laying in the grass. As time went on the itching did not subside so I thought it was time to take a closer look.

Lo and behold, the dog has fleas! He's been on Vectra for the entire season and I was shocked to see it wasn't working. I spoke to my vet who confirmed my suspicions: The fleas seem to have built up a tolerance to the medications currently on the market. There is another product my vet suggested called Comfortis that I'm going to try as soon as they get it in stock. I'll let you know if it works.
In the meantime, I sit down every day with my poor itching dog and comb him with a flea comb and jam the fleas I catch into a glob of vaseline on a tissue. Pretty labor intensive, but at least my dog is enjoying the attention!

Upcoming Holidays - Blog Carnival

The theme for the Etsy Bloggers Blog Carnival this week is: "The holiday season will soon be here - what's your favorite holiday movie or special?"

I love all the old claymation specials from the 1970's, but my very favorite is The Year Without A Santa Claus. Specifically, the Heat Miser vs. Snow Miser song. I love that song and sing it year round when I'm so inclined.

Here it is for your enjoyment!

Etsy Blogger for November

This month's featured Etsy Blogger is Becky of beckykazana and her other shop, thefabmissb. Becky has been an Etsy seller and an Bloggers team member for several years now. She has a lot of diverse things in her two shops, so stop by and take a look!