I Think This Garden Will Be Super-Colors, colors & more colors!

After cramming the house with things-it traveled outside but it looks like it is running out of room too! Hubby should be home so shots on the patio before dinner!

Dolls, dolls & more dolls

The weather is getting gorgeous & the garden looks like it's on steroids! Plants came up now instead of their usual June or July so this is very cool. So why am I making dolls in the house???? I guess we all are suffering the economic mess so you figure that maybe a 'new doll' will appeal to someone. Also with the Lyme I HAVE to stay out of bed so I work & listen to old rock. Art fairs this weekend as a buyer not seller so once you see that great work-you get inspired. Hugs to you all. <3

It's Lyme Disease Awareness Month & I Wear My Bracelet Proudly

My 8+ Year Battle.

Presentation to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies By The National Capital Lyme & Tick-Borne Disease Association
April 29, 2010
This afternoon we have heard some very important and impressive presentations. But they were presentations that were sterile scientific discussion. We must not forget that this scientific inquiry is motivated by the human experience of a devastating disease. It must continue to be motivated by that human experience as long as that motivation does not prejudice the scientific method.
Lyme disease patients face tremendous suffering and disability. One study found that chronic Lyme patients experience the quality of life of someone with congestive heart failure or osteoarthritis and suffer more impairment than someone living with type II diabetes or a recent heart attack. Despite the assertions of some researchers that we have the answers that we need, there is much to do in the area of Lyme research. There are many theories that have been studied, recommended further research and that deserve support to conclude their potential validity. As the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (“CBC”) radio program: Ideas: The Bacteria Revolution reported over a decade ago: “Sorting out all the various symptoms caused by tick-borne diseases is no picnic, and both the detection and the treatment of Lyme are surrounded by controversy.”
Lyme disease patients are sick – sick of having their real life experience disclaimed as “anecdotal.” Researchers at Columbia University in New York City published a study in 2008 that added that the fatigue level in chronic Lyme disease patients is equal to that of multiple sclerosis.

Some New Dolls

Hi sweet ladies & a few of you adorable men buds! Right now I am working on a hubcap (???) for an exhibit & because it was so small I could not get the smallest of dolls on it but used white polymer instead. I guess I could have put the doll faces on with colored clay. Hmmmmmmmm. Maybe I will start again! ~shaking head~ Boy the economy is so bad so sales are down & I NEED to make new things & stay out of bed because of the Lyme so I put some things on sale on Etsy so I guess we'll see if that helps. Hugs!
Keri

Introducing Madder Root Recipe Cards!

While Christina and I have mostly worked on tea towels over the past month or so, this week we expanded our Madder Root product offerings to include recipe cards.



Whether it's a new recipe or a treasured family favorite these charming hand printed recipe cards are a perfect addition to your kitchen. All cards are printed on 100% recycled paper. At 5 1/2"x 8 1/2" they are large enough for any recipe and folded in half they will fit in a standard 4"x6" recipe box.



Each card is hand printed with water-based non-toxic inks. Slight variations in placement and color add to the charm.

We will be adding more designs and colors soon!

For more information about our recipe cards, tea towels or scarves, please visit www.madderroot.etsy.com.

Cheers!--Janyce

Boy How Things Have Changed!

Barb & I put our hearts & a ton of work into 'our' Etsy store. When we got the store stocked we then sent an email to our customers & buds. My girl did sell 2 paintings & at that point we realized we had a BIG problem. All of our shipping charges defaulted. If Barb sold & painting then I sold 2 plant stakes they would take her shipping charge on that painting. First shipping price on my plant stakes is $5.25 & the rest ship FREE. But Etsy had the plant stakes shipping at $21.00 each! Twenty cents...........ok! It was just as wrong if they bought from me then Barb. We tried everything in our power to make this work. I went to 3 Etsy forums & Tech Help. I was told that "it is best for you each to have your own store as these glitches happen with a Collective Shop."

It poses other challenges also but until you are "really doing a 2 man (women) store" you do not realize how crazy it can be. We moved Barb into my Etsy Store as I am established there & customers know how to find me rather than starting from scratch. For any of you who has an Etsy store we know that we pay our monthly charges & fees, get convos & emails, get Selling Notifications & payment info & we have our Paypal. It's easy!

The store is recognized as 'mine' & EVERYTHING comes to me. So Barb was not privy to emails if her customer had a question. She never got a Transaction notice then I would transfer $ from my Paypal to hers. So ANYTHING concerning Barb HAD to come through me. So I was transferring emails, questions only Barb could answer, & we also were shipping from 2 different destinations. So if a customer wanted info on their shipment-I had to go to Barb. Now we planned on getting a Paypal account with both of us on there so that was the ONLY thing that we could do jointly.

Unless you are at the computer all day....it is more frustrating then you can imagine. Etsy stores are simple & great for one person-a nightmare for two! We all appreciate our customers & we take care of them from Step A to Step B. Things go fine & you get your positive feedbacks.

To do 'our' store customers would be getting wrong shipping charges POSITIVELY so we could refund but we feel that is not the way to do business. If it was only 1 time ok, but now every transaction would be wrong. So not a good thing. Initially in our Etsy store we have 10 folders so I went to Etsy asking if it was possible that each folder could be a different artist bringing all of our customers with us. I thought it was a GREAT idea! So then it was just Barb & I. She will open a store but because of a hectic schedule it may be awhile. At that point I'll attach a link cus she truly is a GREAT artist.
Hugs to all,
Keri