I'm back! -- and eggs

As you may be able to tell, I'm back from our quick, Thanksgiving jaunt. I packed up five orders today and they'll all be going out Monday to their new homes.

I spent some time shopping around Etsy today, and decided to go for two eggs from SwedishDesign. I got a Santa and a Snowman, and I can't wait to get them! They're wonderful illustrations and will make excellent gifts for my sets of parents.

I spent a lot of time going through some incredible work by several very talented egg-workers, for lack of a better term. I thought I'd share some of these amazing creations with you.



Here's a wonderful pysanka ornament by doreseggs. The colors and patterning are captivating.









This artist, PysankyPanky, has too many incredible pieces to pick a favorite from, but this one is at the top of my list!










Here's a little wonder by 1eggman. This artist has the most amazing carved eggs I've ever seen!




Check out my favorite items and favorite sellers for more incredible egg artists!

Mmmm...chocolate!

A big thank you to simplydoodles for including my chocolate mint plant in this lovely treasury:

New things!

I decided to change my avatar. I may change it back to the one I've had since I joined (over a year now!), but I figured I'd give this one a try for a little while and see if I adjust. Talk about living on the wild side, eh?

I've decided to do a fluffnflowers sale from 28 Nov.-1 Dec. in honor of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. If you haven't already checked out my shop, you might want to take advantage of this sale before the spring rush!

Buy 3 packs of seeds or $9 equivalent (not including S&H) and get a free pack of seeds! AND 15% off of any CUT GLASS growing kit.

Beside myself with glee!

Etsy streamlined the flagging system, and they actually seem to be RESPONDING to flagged items.

I spent a couple of mindless hours while watching some 'sodes and the items have been moved. HURRAH!

I think I am no longer as frustrated with Etsy as I was. This totally made my day.

(Shows how much of a life I have, eh?)

It's cold!

It's finally gotten cold, here, and it looks like it's probably going to stay that way. I'm excited and I hope I get to see snow this year! I'm not holding my breath, but it'd sure be nice.

Our yellow tree is almost out of leaves, which is a bit sad. It starts turning first, holds onto it's lovely colors, and then fades out after every other tree. I should investigate and see what kind of tree it is, but it seems that I never get around to it until after the leaves have all fallen and then I don't know which it is! It looks quite striking between the pine trees.

Other than that, I seem to be recovering alright. It's only been a few days since the procedure and things are still pretty up and down, but I've definitely noticed some improvements. Being able to sleep through the night without being woken up a million times by a stopping/starting heart is really, really, really nice. We'll see what's happening in a month or so...

I made it out alive!

I'm back home and comfy after my heart surgery. Sadly, the procedure wasn't as successful as we'd have liked, but we'll know better what the course of action will be in a month or so.

For now, I'm thrilled to be home, and I've been pretty busy. I've redone a couple of listings, added a few new listings, and have been getting together more promos to send out for the next big rush.

I spent some time before I went into the hospital cutting and finishing a bunch of glass bottles, so I've been taking pictures and introducing these 'pinch' garden kits. The containers are small, so I've chosen seeds that do well in tight quarters for several months. Spicy Globe Basil, Fern Leaf Bleeding Heart, and Jewels of Opar are some of the selections I've made.

Things are slowing down.

Winter is obviously starting to set in. All of the trees are losing their leaves and plants have stopped their furious growth. I've been pulling in seeds, and I'll be lifting some of my cold-sensitive bulbs shortly. Entertainingly enough, everything is slowing down, but a handful of weeds are going insane.

Thursday (I skipped the 11th!) is the big day, and I hope I'll be back in fine form shortly after. Supposedly, the procedure is easy and has a fast recovery, so keep your fingers crossed that my heart is thumping the right way soon!

Today, while I was cleaning I found more of my business cards! I thought I was out, but I apparently just misplaced 100 of them. So, now I can staple together promos while I wait for my 1250 others to arrive.

I also ordered 100 post cards. I'm not going to mail them out and intend on using them on thank-you notes, actually. I normally use large note cards to write the thank you and tape seed packs to the back. These will be pretty and serve the same function. Woohoo!

MMG'ers strike again!

Yesterday was the first day of what's going to be a new MMG (More Meaningful Gifts -- a BNR group started up by the lovely Dorana) tradition -- The Sneak Attack!

Most of us already know about the official Sneak Attack organized by The Handmade Movement, but this sneak attack is just for MMG'ers. If you're on the list by 9AM Eastern time on the day of the attack, you're put into a random drawing to be the 'victim' shop.

Last night's shop was Tsurfer, a lovely lady with lots of fun, creative pieces like these zipper pouches and purse organizers.

The next attack will be held next Wednesday, 12 Nov., at 9PM. Make sure to tune in and buy onto the list by 9AM to participate!

(You can find the link to the daily thread by checking out the last page of the previous day's thread.)

'Black Pearl' Pepper

I've had this plant listed in my shop under it's botanical name, Capsicum annuum 'Black Pearl'. I changed it to 'Black Pearl' Pepper when I thought about it and realized that most people aren't going to know what the botanical name is. I've had more hits after changing it, so I'm patting myself for being clever. :)

This has been my favorite plant for several years, but I fall even more in love with it every autumn when I bring it in. The black, sparkly foliage is enough to make most people take a second glance and ask about it, and it's even more eye catching when it's covered with bright, red peppers.

It does wonderfully indoors in the winter and blooms and peppers all winter in my bright, south-facing window. That means that those tasty little balls end up in my soups and other dishes all winter!