Etsy Front Page

For those who don't know, the main focus of the front page of etsy is a collection of twelve carefully selected and curated items. Typically, these items are chosen by a member (either a buyer or seller) and assembled into a "treasury". It is from the treasuries that etsy admin chooses the list that graces the front page.
Sometime in the wee hours of this morning, my most recent treasury list was chosen for the front page. I, unfortunately, happened to sleep through it, but nonetheless, I was very excited to learn this morning that it happened.
Here is a copy of the treasury that I curated:



I was especially happy that my treasury was chosen as it featured two of my favorite etsy sellers, fellow Canadians, sixthandelm and wittyworkshop.

The Addiction Deepens

There is no secret that I have an addiction to both beads and handmade goodies. When, however I discovered the proliferation of handmade beads and findings on etsy, the addictions collided, creating one addiction super-nova.

I have one bead-maker in particular that I have been stalking mercilessly for close to a year, gillianbeads. Her beads are beautiful, stunning, radiant even. So wonderful are they that I had hoarded a neat little stash of them, unable to part company with the beauties. But as my bead holder runneth over, it was time to put them to use.

Here are some examples of her beads in action, made into String Me Along originals:

Migrations

It is that time of year. With a temperature of only 6 degrees this morning when I awoke, its quite evident that autumn is swiftly and surely muscling summer out of the way.
Another one of my favorite things about this time of year is watching the migrating birds, converging into their convoys, and with a chippering frenzy, preparing for the long trip south. I marvel that year after year these migrations occur on little more than instinct, whereas I with map, GPS and roadsigns still manage to get lost on a straight road.
Fly safe avian friends, and I await your return in the spring. In homage to you....

Raining Cats and... Ducks?

The rain is falling here. Really, really falling!! The remnants of Hurricane Hannah have settled over New Brunswick and overnight several millimetres of rain saturated the area. When I woke this morning over thirty ducks had gathered at the side of my building where the water has turned the lawn into a verdant marshland.

Knowing that the rains were coming and that I was facing rain for the next ten days or so, as Hannah is to be followed closely by Ike and then Josephine, I did what any level-headed catastrophist would do and I brought in the necessary provisions. Luckily, yesterday was a market day so I was able to stock up on good cheeses, seafood and fresh produce. The result - a deliciously rich dinner of seafood lasagna, followed by an autumnal dessert of apple crisp.



And as beach trips or other outdoor excursions are not likely to be in the schedule for the next several days, I needed to prepare myself for a week of indoor activities. Naturally, this led to an exploratory excursion to a local artisan wool shop - London-Wul. Discovering this shop is certainly not going to do anything for a wool habit that is teetering on the perilous edge of full-blown addiction. The shop is dangerously near to my home, through a quick and pretty, rural drive. Upon arrival the delights that await you are better than any candy store. On-site is a natural dye garden, a dying studio, and many of the wools are spun on site as well. The colours, the textures, oh, the soft squooshiness of it all! I treated myself to two exquisitely coloured bags of roving. I plan to spend the rainy days ahead felting a multitude of beads.



(PS... I don't mean to make light of the seriousness of hurricanes. For those who live in the path of destructive hurricanes - past, present or future - I wish you safety and peace of mind.)

OverHaulin' Sale

It took a long time and was a very tedious process, but finally, FINALLY, my ETSY shop overhaul is complete. Photos have been reshot, edited and uploaded (approximately 850 photos in total were taken!!); some items have been repriced (lower prices, that is!); and some of my older items which no longer seemd to fit have been removed. removing items was the hardest thing to do and I chewed over the idea for quite some time before deciding it was the best course of action.
So with a sigh of relief, and with a whoop of excitement for the future of my shop, I am announcing that starting at midnight (Atlantic Standard Time) Friday, September 5th I will be having a BOGO sale. Buy one item at regular price and the second item - of equal or lesser value - will be half price.
New items are currently being listed everyday, and the holiday season is creeping ever closer so it is a great time to shop at String Me Along.