Eda Doreen

:: examining life as we see it ::

 "this soul or life within us, by no means agrees with the life outside of us. If one has the courage to ask her what she thinks, she is always saying the very opposite to what others may say " -marcus aurelius

It has been a long time since writing on my blog. I disapeared for a while. Perhaps not for the better, but for the case of learning, loving, and losing the three L's all encased in a tiny litte box we call 'life'. I have been studying hard, and working hard. I have been slacking off on my shop a little by closing it for a long time as well, which I do not believe benefited my inner creative soul for the very least. But I think now I am actually beginning to breathe again. I was drowning there for a while, in a sea of emotions, and swimming against the high tide every day, or so it seemed. I lost my best friend, and hope to recover that friendship some day, but now is not the time. I think denial is a foe and for many months, it was my friend. I cherish not my actions so much in the past, but my intuition in talking to me softly, for every breath that I take. Thankfully, I did not lose myself, and although I was told I did, over and over, I found the strength to gain the momentum in coming up for air, every time a wave of panic would hit me.

Our inner soul is not accustomed to the world around us. It is something we are only able to grasp if we truly listen to our hearts. I had the courage to ask my own soul the questions in needing and wanting to find happiness, and albeit, although others may not agree with what my heart and soul are now in love with, I cannot control this, nor do I wish or ever want too. What others say, I do the opposite. I feel the opposite, and breath the opposite of normality.

Change is a good thing in life. It enables us to grow slowly, one day at a time.

Smiles to those who care, and listen .

Sammi xx

 

:: HOPE ::

“ Hope is like a road in the country; there was never a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence”- Lin Yutang.

 

My wishes for you

 

 

The days are starting to stretch out. The nights are balmy here in the South. The front porches of the homes of the Southerners, garnish hanging vines, ferns, and petunias. The children play with their friends in the streets, and their grandparents and guardians sip tea in the afternoon setting sun.

Since moving to the South some eight years ago, I have learned much about Southern folklore, food, and life. I have made some of the most memorable friends; friends whom I know would always come to my aid, rain, hail, or shine. Or, perhaps that is the American Spirit in general. Either way, living in America has become my life, or I could never go back to my homeland. Sure, I am a proud Australian, I eat my vegemite, and I often read the on-line newspapers back home, and I know how to stir up some Aussie commotion, even so far away. But it’s the life we choose to lead, the paths we take, and the heart of life we live that ultimately drives us to that special place we call home.

 

 

Tale of the Lost Necklace by Imagine Studio's on etsy

Where is your home? Is it in the sprawling cities, or the stretching suburbs? Or, is it in a log cabin overlooking the Chrystal waters of the lake that you swim in, fish in, and watch the setting sun over every end to the day? Or, is it just with someone you love? Home is where the heart is, and it can be anywhere, both physical and spiritual.

I’m heading home soon, even though I have a home to call my own. Home is …. Where the heart is.

 

Have a great afternoon, cherish those you love, and give your smile to someone who needs it, because you never know when you will need it in return.

 

Sam

::Monday Mingling::

“This soul, or life within us, by no means agrees with the life outside us. If one has the courage to ask her what she thinks, she is always saying the very opposite to what other people say. “-Virginia Woolf

 

Peacock by Geninne

 

I hope everyone's weekend was filled with fun, laughs, memories, and loads of mother's day photographs!

This little chicken had to work, but alas the day was beckoned with a bunch of flowers of which are the treasures of my heart. Speaking of flowers, treasures and hearts, did you all have a special surprise the morning you awoke? Be honest now ;) .

I met some interesting individuals over the weekend, one a world war 1 vet, who was ever so nice, pleasant and funny at the same time. He happened to be a P.O.W. and was alongside some of my own countrymen back during WW I. We truly owe them much gratitude, and respect for those still living , and for that I tip my hat to those who served so galiantly, bravely, and willingly so that we could have our freedoms today.

 

Soul Keeper Fine Silver Key, wing, and Mini Tag monogram necklace

 

"The soul would have no rainbow had the eyes no tears"

 
hey Soul Sister

I have much to do on this Monday morning. I am in the process of readying some journals, and I will be off to visit Joann’s craft store this morning for some pastel paints.

But, there is nothing I love more than bringing together a journal from start to finish. It is very rewarding.

 

Have a wonderful day,

Cherish life J

 

Sam  

 

 

 

greetings from a notecard

Just a short post this afternoon!  We had tornado warnings friday and saturday nights like there was no tomorrow. I must say it was very scary. In some areas of Mississippi, and Tennessee there was up to 20 inches of rain recorded, and several deaths due to flooding. Not good :( . The rain is always a welcome sight, however mother nature has a ferocious bite sometimes.

I had an abundance of sales over the last week, and having to construct journals , and box up already up-cycled cigar boxes, and ship them off was priority this morning for my customers. I had my first sale to Europe over the weekend. Belgium!

I have about 10 different cigar boxes I will be altering in the next week or so, and I plan on making 9 new journals :) Lined paper journals, and blank journals. And, I also am looking at starting different lines of journals for different genres of hobbies/interests that buyers are looking for. So, I  am super exited about this.

I made a selection of note card sets over the weekend, blank note cards, thank you note cards, announcement note cards... all of which will come in handy to someone. They are in my etsy shop and can be purchased anytime. I love custom orders as well.

Anyway, tomorrow Is a new day ... with no mistakes in it! See y'all then.

Sam

two threads short of an oven mitt

tutorial

friday!

 

“A sense of humor... is needed armor. Joy in one's heart and some laughter on one's lips is a sign that the person down deep has a pretty good grasp of life. “-Hugh Sidey

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I have a habitual downfall, I must admit. And, they say that if you admit to one's faults then at least it’s the start to overcoming them. Yeah right!

Ok. So here’s the deal. I have fallen head over in femme heals love with fabrics. Organic fabrics, Japanese fabrics, designer fabrics, cotton fabrics, polyester fabrics, felts, woolens, oh my list goes on. The mail man I am quite sure knows of my obsession of fabrics, there’s a package in my mail box every week or so. But let’s not go there. Let’s rather look at what can be made with an abundance of glorious fibers.  

Today I am linking back to two fantastic, easy going patterns to make out of a yard of fabric, found on the longthread.com. The first tutorial shows one how to sew a pair of oven mitts, and the second, a purse to take out and about in this glorious sunshine.

Both patterns have photo’s to guide one through the meanders of threads, and both patterns pack a punch in the ‘Wow I did it’ category.

 

Sooz's Slack Arse Oven Mitts

 

Soozs blog is somewhat outdated, however Im positive she won't mind a bit in using her tutorial to sew up these little beauties. 

 

Bamboo Beach Purse

Notice this beach purse has bamboo handles, for those of us who wouldn't know where to get a hold of them, they can be purchased as a two pack, or single pack from Joann's.com, or any other fabric/Haberdashery store. And of course, Heather Bailey fabrics, and Amy Butler fabrics suit this purse to a tee. Oh, and I will tell all about a two gal team who prints their own fabrics in Australia, named InkandSpindle. This Aussie combo, sure know how to produce some awesome fabrics on unique fabrics. They ship internationally, and are super friendly. Their wholesale list can be obtained easily as well. Below is a collage of some of their eco-friendly fabrics that they hand printed.

 

So that's it for this week!

I hope you all have something fun filled, relaxing, and life full of happiness planned for the weekend. I do .. work ha!

I do look forward to my monday and tuesdays though : ) Keep safe, smile, and hug someone today, I am sure they need it.

 

Best,

Sam

 

  

 

realism is a good send.

Quotations are my best friend.

“How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live.” -Henry David Thoreau

I have always loved quotations. I don’t know why exactly, I guess I could put it down to the realist in me. I believe in realism. I may be somewhat pessimistic sometimes, but at most optimistic, with a real dash of realism. So, what does that say about me? Nothing! Just that I read quotations, and use them in relation to what seems real to me. In a philosophical sense, realism is something thought about, in a physical sense, realism is something seen, heard, felt, touched, or tasted. In an emotional sense realism can often be too good to bear, and at times, painful beyond words.

 

I found a fantastic how to this morning, for those of you who love quotations just like me. It can be found here on the DIY.COM channel, however I will be showing the directions below, after the jump!

Step 1: Find a Quote

Find books at the public library that include different typefaces, or print out some of the different fonts available on a computer. Determine how big the quote will be on the wall. Take the printout of the quote to a copy store and have it enlarged to fit the scale of the wall or the space on the wall where it will go.

Step 2: Mark the Wall Where the Quote Will Go

Using a level, draw a straight line with a pencil where the quote will go. The quote can go anywhere on the wall -- up at the top near the ceiling, at chair-rail height, or in the middle of the wall. The quote essentially takes the place of a picture.

Step 3: Trace the Quote Onto the Wall

Place a piece of transfer paper (available at a craft or art-supply store) along the line you've drawn, and put the photocopied word on top of the transfer paper. Tape it to the wall with painter's tape. Make sure you're working with transfer paper, which has a carbon below it, not tracing paper. Then trace the letters with a pencil, pressing firmly so the pencil point will leave an outline on the wall. This is a time-consuming process, and for best results you shouldn't hurry through it.

Step 4: Fill in the Words with Paint

Once the words are traced, go back in with a paintbrush or paint pens to first outline and then fill in the words. If you like, use metallic pens to highlight the painted words or make different words different colors for emphasis.

 

Thats it! How simple and fun is this to make for our studio, bedroom, sitting room, or hallways?

Have a fun afternoon, morning, or night where ever you may be.

"Melancholy is at the bottom of everything, just as at the end of all rivers is the sea. Can it be otherwise in a world where nothing lasts, where all that we have loved or shall love must die? Is death, then, the secret of life? The gloom of an eternal mourning enwraps, more or less closely, every serious and thoughtful soul, as night enwraps the universe. "--Henri Frederic Amiel

 

Best,

Sam

 

on design

Amy Butler Design

I don’t know why it is that for so long, I had not noticed the aura of beautiful and pretty fabrics, but I am so glad I crave them now. We all know that fabrics clothe us, clothe our homes, and clothe the world around us. From one simple seed, comes a fiber ( natural that is )One of my favorite fabric designers is Amy Butler, and with her illustrious affair with geometrics, floral patterns, and colors to boot, there is never a dull object of desire when crafting with Amy’s fabrics, and or scrapbooking collections.

Today, I found a gorgeous Amy Butler design pattern for a paper iris that can be cut from Amy’s scrapbooking collection cardstock, and used to brighten up any corner or armoire. I just love it, and I am going to try to make it this week. So, that is why I am posting it, so you can all try it as well.

The pattern is simple, classy and unique. Kudos to Amy Butler! Click on the link here : pattern to find it. 

 

Amy Butler Design

Well, I've been out in my garden today, mother nature had other plans yesterday, and there was no rain afterall! I spent the last hour or so watering, .... but I fear some of my newly planted perennials may have suffered this last week or so from shock :( . Oh well, that is why I always preach "throw seed to the wind" simply because seed grows stronger, longer, and survives much better than one lone plant.  

 

Have a lovely afternoon, whatever you may be doing. I will be working, but that's ok. Another day, another smile!

Best,

 

Sam

Saturday !

Just a quick today, the end of the week is completed for the 9-5ers... and Im technically on my hump day, ( middle of the week for those who think I am being naughty ) but I just wanted to post a gorgeous print I spotted on the front page of etsy this morning. It is created by Farouche and by the looks of it, they sell an abundance of other fantasmic looking art prints for the home. I'm thinking of getting a couple soon .

Bright SunShiny Day

 

 Now, to be honest, I do believe that we in the Mid-South will be getting some much needed rain, the air is sweet, and the humidity is rising so a big shoutout for mother nature!! My garden needs you more than ever today sweet lady!

Im going to finish off today with a quote by the lovely Anais Nin, my favorite author. Have a wonderful weekend, start something new, paint something bright, and plant something precious !

Best,

Sam

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born"

Anais Nin quote

 

 

Paper Sparrow

Paper Sparrow

Artist, Musician, and vintage seller, Andrea Lauren, sure knows a thing or two about combining creativity in many forms. I stumbled across her shop earlier last week, and fell in love with her adorable forest like depictions of animals in her jewelry, paintings, and prints.

 

 
Dancing Raccoons

Compact, cute, and unique Andrea also uses her artwork in brooches, pendents, mirrors, and necklaces something I find one of a kind, and furthermore her journey as an artist can be read about on her blog. But Andrea does not stop at one etsy shop, she also has a vintage style repetoire, offering up absolute items, that suit the vintage lover to say the very least, including full outfits, to shoes, to purses, and jewelry. What more can the vintage obsessed ask for ? Her vintage wares can be found at Pegasus Vintage. 

Ever After Pendant   

I just love Andrea's works!

Have a wonderful morning, afternoon, and be sure to get some sun today... it's there for the taking .

 

 

Sam

  

Shop help :: Product Photography

Shop help: Photo’s

One of the most important aspects I have learnt in selling online is photographing your product. When I first started up shop, I had no idea how important this facet in marketing online meant. But after a month or so, of low views, low hearts, and of course next to no sales, I caught on quick realising why other sellers on etsy stressed the importance of product photography.

 

 

Blackbird

 Its something some sellers overlook when they start out for simple reasons. The first reason being quite obvious, lack of experience in online selling. Second, not having the equipment to take macro (close-up) shots of your product, and thirdly, not knowing how to stage your product.

Although many of us beg to differ in the area of staging a product, the most simplest form of staging, is often the most eye appealing.

The following is a list of staging pointers to think of next time you are taking a photo of your product before listing to sell.

• Always try to place your product in natural lighting before taking the shot. Here, on a table by the window out of the shine and glare of the sun is perfect.
• Try to place your product on a white background before taking the shot. The only exception may be if the product is white, cream or neutral in color. In this instance, use a eco-friendly backdrop, for example, bamboo, dark wood grained surface, or even on black.
• Take outside shots as staging backdrops also for variance. Old factory buildings, empty rooms, garden benches, sandpits and the like are fantastic staging backdrops. Use models ( family, friends, paid models, animals ) to show off your wares in photographs. How can you imagine your screen printed t-shirt on you, if you cannot see it on someone else? Sure the t-shirt is a one of a kind, but thinking about it in this light, bears reason to stage on models.
• If there is little or no natural lighting and you must take a shot in order to sell your product, which most often occurs in places where there is lacking sun in the winter months, assemble an easy and inexpensive light box.
• Vary the position of the shot. In other words, take photographs of the product from different angles, including up close, from the corners, above the product, and looking up at the product. Often it gives the feel of the product by doing this. And, because a buyer cannot touch your product, giving a different angle makes them more apt to 'virtually feeling' the product.
• Use the highest quality photography. Note, this does not refer to the resolution, nor the size of the photograph, but rather the quality of the shot. The better the camera the better the quality of the shot.
• Take in the product description when shooting the shot. If the product comes in three colors, or has a silver lining so to speak, make sure when photographing the product your photos show this. Its more of the proof that the seller is legitimizing the description of the product.
• Always convey the physical attributes that make up the product. Here product size is often the most important. Buyers would love to know the size comparrison of this product up against another. If it is possible to do so in a photograph do it!
• Keep file sizes in proportion to the file size required by the site you sell on. On etsy, file sizes for photographs for product listings vary but more often support 800-1000 pixels.

 
Vintage Truck- Molly O'Bryon Welpott

The factors above are some of the most important to think about when taking shots of your handmade items.  However, there are many different aspects to product selling online that also come into play. Etsy has some great shop help with tutorials, and testimonials on their blog, and in their help section for further reading.

Never underestimate the power of photography for selling!

Have a supercalafragalisticexpialadocious afternoon,

Sam