Tiny Niblets

How Twitter Works by Patrick Neilson Hayden

The Boxing Day Disaster. I try to use gift bags to try to cut down on the waste, but it can still get pretty bad. My brother packaged some gifts in old appliance boxes, which was good.

dear the entire internet

Seems like etsy is going through some restructuring.

I need to put my pedal to the metal because January is coming. For some reason, people enjoy buying jewelry after Christmas.

Man, I Wish We Had a Craft Business Nightmares...

I love Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. People with a lack of business sense try to open restaurants[i.e. they have dog poop in the kitchen, frozen food on the menu,etc] and Ramsay comes in and says WTF? IT SHOULDN'T TAKE 30 MINUTES TO PUT SOME ICEBERG LETTUCE INTO A BOWL! Since getting into the crafts business is so much easier than the restaurant business[I bet you could get in with an initial $100 investment] I bet even more egregious messups are being covered up by folks saying that their detractors are just jealous...

Bacteria in Lotion

...don't use lotion from people who are worried about naturalness more than health.

Angry Nerds Cause Bad Publicity

Nerds who put many hours of work into rules summaries, unique cards and the like for their board games have their work deleted. 

More geek rage.

Personally, that's short sighted. The problem with board game fandom is that we're a little...intense...about our games. Hose one person's files, and all his or her board gaming buddies will hear and hear and hear about it. And new games are coming out all the time it seems- if one company pisses off the fans, there are tons of others hungry for the business...

Hey, I don't like this poll design!

You have to basically answer 'etsy sucks', unless you want to be some sort of jerk who says that everyone with an issue with etsy , no matter whether it's the folks who pick the front page's obsession with white women being attacked by clothing to too many resellers is a whiner.

And saying bad things about other sellers is just bad business. Not only are sellers buyers, and you just called them all lazy whiners who suck at life, it just smacks of hypocrisy. If whining is what people who don't focus on business do, and you're whining about that...hmm...

I need to advertise my free shipping sale more, but I have more than one tab open. I can blog and advertise at the same time.

Etsy is finally responsible!

Instead of RAH RAH POSTIVITY EVERYONE WHO HAS A LOGICAL QUESTION ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS PLAN IS JUST JEALOUS! etsy has produced an actual sensible business related article that even has profit mentioned!

This sort of thing is why I am a hobbyist. People in business can't just run off and spend all their earnings on beads- they have to grow their business, working to cultivate new markets, and making new product lines. You can't just take a day off to play video games!

Black Folks Love Twitter

I thought a lot of trending topics were amenable to my interests!  The net is for everyone!

I made two items yesterday, but I need to do some photo editing before I can post pictures on the web.

Dear etsy

Really, we don't want people who already get extra promotion to get more off the backs of our shops. When I promote me, I promote me. I'm not promoting who is hip on the etsy scene today. I might personally like their stuff, or think their stuff is horrid, but those folks can promote themselves on their own.

Artfire Drama

Man, folks are being threatened and there's wackiness! I also hear about 20 folks were muted over the kerfuffle, and that even more allegations will surface soon. Also, part of the forums has disappeared too.

I'm sort of bummed. It's as if my jewelry making ability isn't very creative lately. I just need more beads, I think

Guerrila Advertising

This photo amused me.

Allegations are flying!

Will Lime Crime answer them? I hear the field of mineral makeup is difficult, with people worrying about resalers all the time. Sadly, in the field of jewelry, I'm just here waiting for my beads to arrive. I guess the lesson from the kerfuffle about this is maybe you guys should do some in the studio shots to show how unique you are, and worth the price? But the truth about me is that I make all my products in my room from beads I find on the internet.

Hey, it's the eye makeup liberation front!

It's nearly Christmas!

Hahaha. Yes, I've totally skipped Halloween- one of the best holidays ever! People in other countries, American Halloween is an all out extravagantsa involving costumes for adults, kids, and sometimes small animals! Kids eat so much candy they get sick! Pumpkins decorate the area for weeks on end![No, we don't know why the pumpkins. Someone blamed it on the Irish. And uh..turnips]. Women wear revealing 'costumes'. Men dress in drag! Much alcohol is drunk and costume contests blanket the land. HALLOWEEN FREAKING ROCKS!

But oh yea...I was going to talk about working on your brand steadily throughout the year, building your inventory and product line, and then getting a big climax at Christmas and the post Christmas season, instead of just hoping Christmas will shore up your failing business, but I haven't been doing much this year.

I was almost going to close down, but then I realized that I needed to sell things to buy more beads to make things and then I would be in the same 'I have too much jewelry' place where I started.

Oh flickr!

The tag person in your photo thing doesn't seem to fit. It seems to me that flickr is full of photographers, faux photographers, crafters and faux photojournalists. Tag the peron looks like the sort of thing you'd have on a site whose picture capability is more focused towards- 'so here's me at a party.' "here's me and the SO at the beach Hey honey!' 'here's my baby' sort of thing. It just doesn't seem to go.

I'm glad my thoughts don't control the universe

I forget the origin of this quote- 'my thoughts do not control the universe'. But I am glad that it is true that my thoughts do not control the universe.  I'm a small petty person who could not create even a Wii. Sometimes my thoughts get distorted like everyone's do. If my thoughts created the universe, there would be no hope for that. No evidence beyond my mind to marshall to explain how things will be alright. And it seems like a small blasphemy to say something as large and magnicent as the universe bends to the whims of mere humans. Most humans have difficulty truly picturing a trillion items, but the universe has trillions of stars. The operations of a single cell of our bodies is amazing beyond most people's imagining. So, let's not just focus on me, me, me- making the universe and any possible divine mysteries inside them turn on materialistic desires, but let's drive to find out how amazing everything is now.

A First for Cassowary Jewelry

I was on the front page of etsy! And I got a blog feature! 
Folks say the front page is no big deal, but I got 3 orders in my main shop today. This in a shop that used to average four sales a month.

Hipsters Rejoice!

Polaroids are coming back into production! In other news, I'm planning a bead buy, so you may see more new designs soon.

Spike Wants a Comic Funded

Spike, creator of Templar Arizona, which is its own micro business, wants to collaborate on a book on how to live poor and well.

I learn we're all doomed.

I'm 25 with a masters, but do I have a job? No. At least other people are having a terrible time too. But the upside is maybe we'll commit to a less materialistic more lo fi lifestyle. I went shopping with my mother today, and she wanted me to trade way up on cell phones, clothing, etc, and I tried to keep the expense down, although I did not succeed. Maybe we'll innovate in other ways- maybe not in ways that will give a lot of money, but give a lot of great things to everyone.

Powerful Words on Positive Thinking

Revealed! If I said that my jewelry business would lead to riches, I'd be in denial, but if I thought that beads are awesome, I'd be being realistic.

Only folks with enough money and time can start random businesses online. I had the time, energy and money, so I could risk it doing my best, and giving it my all. But it's important to understand that others aren't so blessed, and it's wrong to judge others by my own abilities.

Oh, and that corporate part is important. If we're supposed to always smile, we can't be 'negative' and question why we're paying more and getting less. We also lose responsibility and connection to each other. People long to connect to others, but it's so difficult to do so.

I learn why I'll never be on the front page

I tried to make my pictures etsy appropriate, but instead they end up pretty bland. I'm getting my hand back in, though.

Snark Blog Cat Fight

Craftostrophe vs Regretsy! Who will win?!

Design Reworks

A reworked design.

Weekend deals are sucking sellers dry. BTW: you will probably get recycled packaging. You know why? Metals and gemstones and plastic are bad enough for the environment. No need to waste good paper on top of it. I try to reuse things for jewelry as well- 'junk' jewelry, older designs that I want to rework. Waste not, want not.

Reading this article, I thought of what a doctor once said 'people don't clean their neti pots enough'. So clean them after use to avoid grossing me out,ok?

BTW: no swine flu parties. That's a dumb idea.

I don't get many sales from artfire because I don't put as much effort as I should into it.

I don't like how this guy randomly makes a connection between women's unhappiness and social networking. I think women are unhappy because of the work disparity- a woman's role is considered to be doing work- being pretty, doing childcare, etc. A man's role is considered to have fun-watch some football, play video games, do a few tasks around the house.

I think women use social networking to connect to others in their lifestages- look at the dresses of brides, show others pictures of children, and talk about the crafts and hobbies they do in between the double and triple shifts they are doing. We also give each other much support.

The tales of myspace's demise are greatly exaggerated, due to race and class bias. Younger members tend to use myspace, which is important for us who want to capture the youth market. What does this mean for you? I don't know, but probably I should send out a myspace bulletin or two, and change my profile. I have about ten times more myspace friends than I do facebook fans, while I'm thinking about it. Then again, I have nearly 500 contacts on flickr, which is often not profiled as social networking, but it can be. I have no data on flickr, but I would assume a great amount of the people there are artists and photographers.

Ah, snuggie testing. On a similar topic, be careful with soaplane's soap. It was nice at the beginning, but since I didn't store it in a draining soap dish, it got sort of goopy at the end. The green tea scent was quite masculine, so I enjoyed that part.

Daisycakes' soap is still hard probably because cold process holds up better. I smell a bit like tea, but also a nice masculine scent. Not too fruity, not too girly.

I will edit my pictures tomorrow, I think. No sales from the JET sale. Some think that etsy should have featured our group more prominently in the storque.

I'm reading an article about HR now. Being a one person company has its perks, I think.

Hey, I'm in a virtual craft show. I wasn't able to participate in the million festivals of September, so I'm glad to do things online.

This post is just an excuse to show off this design. Even though it's been difficult getting back into the groove of picture taking, I'm sure you can at least tell what it looks like.

I guess I should start gearing up for that Jet Sale on the 25th. Finally, I got some sunshine, so I got some photos done. I've been derailed this whole year, since I was extremely focused on my internship, and then on the grind of job hunting, but I'm going to commit to carve out some time for jewelry making and promoting. I get too focused and need to have a wider horizon.

Communities organize against food deserts. And of course, creating the market is a good way to promote community.

Of course, just providing health food isn't enough- the time and effort spent cooking it is also a problem as this post illustrates. And knowing how to make things from your new healthy food stash, and not putting hamhocks in your purplehull peas is also an effort, which will probably be a burden on women especially.

Pussdaddy continues to troll on the nets. It continues to rain, so pictures of new items are not forthcoming.

Philadelphia libraries close. I just finished reading the book Free which I borrowed from the library. Borrowing the book seemed free to me, but it is paid for by taxes, corporate donations,fines, fees[if you borrow a DVD, it's $2], and the fact that the library serves as a book recycling center- give them your old books, and they will sell them to others for prices from 25 cents to maybe a dollar.

The library returns a lot of value to the community- people can access the internet, do research for school or pleasure, children can gain reading skills through storytime and the fact they can have as many books as they can carry for 3 weeks, and there are also small business talks given as well, and tax help for the elderly.

Etsy Weddings talks about African weddings. While committing the common 'africa' as one sin, and not talking much about specific cultures, the taste found in this collection is very good.

So in tribute to the attempt, I will show a fun and interesting wedding tradition. Jumping the broom. Slaves weren't allowed to be formally married, but often jumped over brooms in ceremonies that made them husband and wife in the eyes of the community. Thus today, we have wedding brooms

People are worried about proana etsians. BTW: If you take random unregulated herbs from people on the internet, you risk injury.

Waste not, want not. Maybe using our yards for gardens, native plants, etc, will become more popular than unsustainable lawns. Or then again maybe not. The tomatoes are still delicious.

Pop Tunes, a Memphis business icon, is remembered fondly by its fans.

Memphis coffee shop closes amid the recession. Another problem with small business is that they can't afford to be everywhere. I won't lie; I would go to Starbucks because while I enjoy coffee flavored milkshakes, I'm not going to drive 30 minutes for one. I'm glad that high point will continue to sell it's beans online, as that was a major part of its business.

The Saga of the Manga Bin

I accumulate manga. As one series can go into 20 books, storage is a big problem of course. My bookshelves were crowded, so I went to the manga bin. How it looked at first:


Mostly, I threw manga I had read into this plastic tub. It kept the manga mostly corralled, but some pages were folded and it was hard to find the exact volume I wanted.



It took me 30 minutes to clean out the manga bin to create the above neater manga bin. It has less storage, but it is easier to view the titles.

I was listening to Here and Now and listened to the author of How the Mighty Fall. The upshot of his interview is that slow and steady attention to the core of the business keeps a business strong, and that getting greedy and losing sight of the cold hard facts are a recipe for business failure. The losing sight of cold hard facts is of course a big problem in artisan business, since artists tend to be slightly less than down to earth.

The whole interview reminded me of Deluxe. In the pursuit of growth, they forgot the importance of quality. I'm not going to be inspired to buy a $300 dress when I know they use the same poorly paid labor as the makers of a $30 dress are using.

So today's business lesson is to keep it simple. I'm trying to get my photo skills back up to pair. In my haitus, I lost my beading thread, but I think I have spotted it.

I like twitter much better than facebook. On facebook, you get to see pictures of babies, and parties you are not invited to. On twitter, you get to post 'this is not the salad of my people' and people will chime in with jokes. People who you don't know irl, so you can joke easily and chat. You can read other people's thoughts on the earth. I'm not saying I don't like being able to see pictures of people from high school's babies, or being able to freak out my brother, but I also like being able to be my true self and talk about things I like too. ^_^;

Natural herbs and vitamins can be harmful. This is common sense for most people, knowing the dangers of burning poison ivy, although this has been overridden by vast marketing about the wonders of all natural sprite or how all our health problems can be cured by eating organic pizza. [pro tip: that won't work. greasy pizza made from organic cheese and organic pork may be yummy, but it's still greasy pizza]

The whole 'we have real sugar in our food' marketing going on is an example of this. Sugar is sugar, whether it's made from corn or beets. You can be healthier by eating less sugar,yes, but beet sugar is still sugar.

A lot of the natural trend is just hype, not hope.

Note that the language used in the article that caused people to boycott whole foods was not our traditional anglo saxon loanwords, but stuff about how people who get sick can just eat gluten free organic cake.

I very much disagree with this post on black entrepreneurship. I live in Memphis, where we have black owned restaurants, black owned hair shops, black owned banks. I also hang out on etsy, where we have etsy artists of color, many of whom are black. I don't think our work ethic is worse than the work ethic of other racial groups.

I come from entrepreneurs. My dad is a landlord. My granddad sold produce on the side of the road. My dad's grandma also used to do that, although she didn't grow all the produce herself. It's not true that there's no history. We've been doing for ourselves since reconstruction.

Personally, I think it's important to support small business because it makes the biodiversity of the business landscape stronger. Since we're small, we don't have stock holders trying to make us water down our product so we can have profit increases every 3 months. We can innovate.

Also, supporting small business supports families and the community. When you buy soap from a mom, you could be making it possible for her to stay at home where she wants to be. You could be supporting a student in their education. I know I don't stack my earnings up in a secret swiss account. I'm out buying from other businesses and pumping up the economy.

etsians have drama I don't understand. I was going to make a whole new fall collection because I was so inspired by the construction of the Hermes handbags in Deluxe, but I guess I should do my last work for school rather than getting all excited over new patterns, designs and influences.

Man plants flowers in unused newspaper boxes- gives beauty to the urban landscape. I'm planning on doing sidewalk chalk graffiti if it doesn't rain. I'm hoping to draw some squid on the sidewalk. If someone doesn't like chalk graffiti, they can just wash it off.

Bayousalvage is awesome, btw.

Notice the stats here- 43% of people under 20 are ethnic minorities. It's a big world out there too- I find that I sell internationally. The last package I sent went to Germany.

I've been off the forums, so I did not see the whole shadesjewelry being kicked off etsy controversy.

His goodbye post.

Pussdaddy is not any help in two posts.

I'm glad that I don't really do make to order- I only do customs under special request. So my stuff always goes out within two days- three if there's some problem with me[this is why I use encidia- so I can mail things when I don't feel like going out] due to the fact that it is already made.

Personally, I don't care if this Gala darling is bankrolled by her parents or not. To create a successful business,you must have time, money and maybe some drive. The more of each you have, the better, but the more time or money you have, the less drive you need. As a person who does my best when I'm having fun, that appeals to me. Lately I've been so concerned about my 30 hour a week unpaid job that I haven't been able to do as much jewelry making as I want to do. I find that goofing off brings creativity to the fore. When I work hard, I just want to sleep on my days off.

One important thing to consider when doing business is moving and grooving with the times. My local local NPR station[WKNO] broke all of these four reasons why NPR is growing. First, there's almost no local coverage. The best we get is maybe some coverage of a $50 opera. Contrast this to MPB which has a whole line up of local shows, including interviews with anyone who has ever thought of Mississippi. WKNO also doesn't use social media well. Their twitter is only a newsfeed, and not of local news. With MPB, there at least some interaction. And of course, the big problem is accessibility. I can pay $300 for a HD radio to listen to Tell Me More or I can switch over to MPB for free and listen. Now, they couldn't have guessed about the recession, but even before, it should have been obvious that being mostly all classical music [on the weekends, instead of something interesting, they have opera. opera. maybe 10 people in Memphis like opera. Certainly something for HD!]

I decided to post about this, because stupid Comcast is TAKING AWAY CHANNELS for paid customers. So I can pay the same amount of money for less channels, including MSNBC, one of my favorites. Just when competition is coming into town. So always focus on the customer's end.

Certain not to be named people have a blog in which they are acting like not having a business paypal makes a business a fraud, and a victim posts on etsy.

While I do have a business paypal account, many of the smaller sellers, who sell maybe one thing a month aren't going to have them.

I'm getting back into the groove, but sadly, making more stuff means getting more cash. So, buy some of my manga. I have a need for beads.

Hey, I was featured on a Fashion Friday.

My business is on haitus. My shops are still open as I always think I'll get back to it. Today is my day off from 'working' and I don't want to do anything.

It seems like Ullja, who was banned from etsy and the self representing jewelry artists for scamming is trying to come back. She has also gotten in trouble for an unliscened bakery. An email:

Ulljas has sent you a message on We Love Etsy

long time no see...i was in Italy for the past 3 years getting lessons in advanced glass sculpturing...i am back in Texas and will reopen my licensed brick and mortar bakery in Waco....soon, online cookie sales will be back too...come check out my new website and make sure to sign my mailing list there to get updates on all
www.ulljasglassnsugar.com

Have a blessed weekend,
Ullja

I would avoid her, as she has gotten in trouble in the past. The cookies were good, but her heart is bad.

I bet this project must have kept the neighbor's kids occupied for at least 30 minutes. Happy 4th!

Quote journals are amazing. Some people draw pictures on the pages and decoupage the covers with vintage ads, but I just have some index cards held together with rings. Some may say, why not buy a quote book? It's more expensive and you get boring quotes like "Too blessed to be depressed" or something instead of awesome quotes like "Never again the foamy times" or "There's no time limit on dancing like Michael Jackson".

You can also make little kids do this as an art project. Just have them fold lined paper and give them some markers and crayons and have them go. I bet it would keep them busy for at least half an hour. Quote journals are for everyone from teens that are writing their first in joke journal to senior citizens collecting dirty jokes to share with their friends.

I find that if I start with a quote I remember and change it a little- I call this remixing- I will end up with a quote that is very personally meaningful for me. So try it.

On Sunday, I saw Wicked at the Orpheum. According to my parents, who are so old that they had to go into the side door and sit in the balacony of the Orpheum when it was a movie theater[note: they are black], the Orpheum looks now as it did back then. With a chandelier, wallpaper so opulent I thought it was carpet and a huge seating area with a balcony, a mezzanine, and tons of seats on the bottom, it's an amazing sight. Uniformed ushers guide you to your seat.

The play was very nicely staged. There was a large moving dragon on the top of the stage, athletic dancing monkeys, and costuming that both brought the Wizard of Oz to mind and was original as well.

The story was quite different from the book, but it was understandable. The world of Oz in the book is gigantic, with many different religions, peoples, and beliefs. Having everything connect back to Elphaba and Glinda wouldn't make sense becuse the world is so big. However, the musical has a smaller scale. There's a love triangle, the scarecrow,lion and tin man now all have something to do with Elphaba's[and sometimes Glinda's] actions, and even the Wizard is tied in at the end. There was a popular girl/nerdy girl high school dynamic added as well.

The music was amazing, as well. All in all, worth the ticket price.

The song that I have in my head for this time of year is "It's too hot, too hot, too hot for me. Gotta run for shelter, gotta run for shade". 6 people have died from the heat lately in Memphis. Two weeks ago, I saw a utility man laying prone in a neighbor's yard. I slowed down and asked the workers if they were OK. One man said yes, his partner was just over heated. I think it was only 92 degrees that day.

Today we came to the end of our pear preserves. My mother washed out the jar, and said she was going to return it, because she doesn't want her friend's mother to go to the expense of buying another jar, and also, because we might get some new pear preserves.

I really respect people who are keeping the remnants of the old barter agricultural economy going. I hope it doesn't fade in our generation, even though I have no useful domestic skills, and work days are getting longer, leaving less time for canning, gardening, and chicken raising

Today is Father's Day. My mom offered to fix my dad's plate. She usually doesn't fix my dad's plate. She used to, as dad's mother used to call the 'girls' to fix the men's plates at family gatherings, but she stopped after my brother started wanting her to fix his plate. So today she asked if he wanted her to fix his plate, since she had made breakfast. He fixed his own plate. GO DAD!

Twitter helps cover the Iran election. I saw this happen myself. Through my follow list, photos of protesters, information about the marches and what was going on, and even locations of proxy servers that the Iranians could use spread quickly. And from twitter, it'll spread into other venues- for example, I emailed that photo to my mother. It's good to remind governments that the world is watching.

Etsians rise up on metatags.

Etsy's having metatag and customer service problems.

Today I had an adventure and went to Chili's. You know, nowadays they are charging for the chips? $4! You know, I went to a Mexican restaurant and they gave me free chips, and this chain is much much smaller than Chilis. So we business people learn an important lesson- sure, you can get business because people don't want to drive around in a strange area looking for something authentic when they can go to feedbag #206 right across the street, but remember, if you're charging for things others give away for free, tell them or at least make up a story about why your chips are higher quality or something!

In using etsy for your activism, please remember two points. 1st point: nothing on etsy can be compared to Rosa Parks unless somehow you knitted a cozy that allowed civil rights to flourish. I doubt this as most people can't even knit a decent pear cozy. 2nd point: really, shut up about China. Just shut up. You'll thank me.

LA offers cash for grass. I think the ideal of the manicured lawn is outdated, and doesn't work with today's greater focus on sustainability. An old saying is 'waste not, want not' and by focusing on each region's unique ecology, we can get yard designs that honor the local wildlife and look attractive as well.

I've finally started my YART sale section. Only 5 items can be in the section at a time, so the more people buy, the more opportunities you have to save. Since items are starting at a dollar, there's no excuse not to buy.

The passive affection of facebook and twitter is right. While I'm one of the 10% creating 90% of the content in twitter, on facebook, I'm quieter. I also wonder how I know 85 people from real life, as I am a hermit. But I do, and I want to know about their Costa Rican vacations, their baby's firsts, no matter how gross, and their occasional philosophical thoughts. At least I can keep up until I see them in real life again.

The internet has to be one of mankind's best inventions. Before, I would have had to spend hours searching the library to find pictures of canned meat from around the world. Now, I don't even have the search. Someone on twitter showed this to me, and everyone else they were following.

It's time for the quarter life crisis sale! Get 25% off everything in these stores:

Etsy
My website
Artfire
Until June 5th, when I will actually turn 25 years old.

There are some things I can't eat. For example, I can't use anything with Guarana in it, for the same reason I avoid drinks with massive amounts of caffiene- anxiety. Also, aspartame gives me headaches.

If you spend much time on etsy forums, you hear that everyone should have a positive attitude, all the time, ever. I'm skeptical, as I'm thinking, when do you ever craft or promote, with all this telling others how to be?

So this study amused me. Basically, folks who already felt bad felt worse when thinking positively. Personally, I know I do. Objectively, I'm a middle of the road jeweler, so I find it more useful to try to improve my skill than to think I'm awesome anyway.

AlwaysAmy has suffered a loss in the family. Let's all be nice to her.

Climate change is killing people in poor countries. Now, I'm not a saint in the carbon emissions field-mailing stuff is a high carbon activity, of course.But let's all be more mindful of how we use our carbon. Are we driving just to be driving? Are we utilizing local foods in our cooking? Summer is coming, so even in more Northern climes, there is some local food to be had.

1/4 of children in US Hispanic, study shows. There are also millions of black children- under 18s represent 31% of the 40 million blacks that live in America. This isn't even including the millions of Asian, Native American, Arab, and other diverse communities of children in the US. So get to crafting folks- there's plenty of diversity out there. Show it in your crafts.

I nearly peed I laughed so hard.

I did some crafting today. *happy*

Wired magazine posts list of 100 geeks to follow on twitter. I didn't know Diane Duane[that Young Wizards series writer] and John Scalzi[hey, it's that bacon cat dude] had twitters. I updated my follows accordingly.

Don't retweet something without reading. That is my twitter tip for the year.

Thank you writer guy. I'm glad that someone realizes the ebb and flow are natural.So when your friend is feeling down, don't throw them under the bus for being 'negative', help them out. Of course, I have to pay a little bit more attention to my ebbs and flows than others might have to.

When I'm able to do one thing, another thing often falters. For example, right now I am doing a ton of laundry, but I have no motivation to do much else. When I get into say, writing, my laundry will be neglected. I have to do very small steps. Tomorrow I'll do the other half of that application. I couldn't do the whole thing, even though I did four loads of laundry[I'm not sure how many loads that translates to in normal person- imagine you did ten in a day, that's the equivalent of four loads for me]

People fall victim to radio ad ripoffs. Remember, if people are advertising directly to people with bad credit, there's usually a catch.

Memphians share their unique food culture. The great part of local business is that innovations usually start at that level before sweeping the nation.

Local man of color creates gaming company- inspires people.

Also about people of color and gaming, here's a talk on gaming and multiculturalism. Watch the whole thing and think of huge marketing opportunities YOU may be missing by making assumptions.

Support local businesses this website says. There's one fallacy here- online business can be local business. Today I did some supporting of local business. I went to Muddy's Bake Shop, which I had heard about on twitter. The lemon rosemary cookies were unexpectedly delicious, so I bought one. I also bought a lemon cupcake, which was very good. I expended $2.10 or so. The ambiance is nice with little tables outside, and in the back, I could see someone doing something to a pie that probably causes deliciousness. I also saw a sign promoting some sort of lunch. There is also a community pinboard, so I left a card.

After that, I ended up stuck behind two geese and three goslings in traffic. The goslings were yellow, like long necked ducklings.

I also went to El Metzcal and bought two tacos. I enjoy their strange white cheese and general taconess. I expended about $4 on this. I also put some cards on their front desk.

A warning on this post. If you post any trite 'advice', I reserve the right to say something really mean. But as a concession, I admit you're a much better person than me, knowing what's best for strangers all the time.

I'm always late on the train. I was reading the sample chapter of Carol Lay's book about fat and the first thing I thought of was 'man, that's a whole lot of time and effort spent on eating every day. A whole lot of mind space spent on ticking off how many calories an orange has.' With the amount of time and energy we spend on weight loss, we could have set up colonies on Mars by now. My second thought was 'Too bad Random House didn't pick up her awesome comics that she's been drawing for years and collect them'. I understand that the American appetite for books on weight loss is insatiable, but man is it disappointing to hear yet another story about fat thighs when Carol has told so many other interesting and amazing stories.

Also, I was reading the American Failure blog, and I thought 'this guy is way too optimistic about most folks.' In this post on video games, he gets two things wrong. First, video games are not just young men anymore. Second, there's an underlying assumption that these guys could obtain any actual real success in life with years of effort. Of course, the problem is that the bar for success is way too high for some people to reach, even with years of effort.

In a world with so many variables, some people are going to be stuck with less than optimal abilities. Something taking them years of effort may be considered total crap by everyone else. For example, it would be a big achievement for me to go into a kitchen without causing havoc and chaos, but for everyone else, that's extremely easy. I guess what I mean is that the effort is too high for the return on investment.

What if greasy Cheetos boy spends years trying to be able to run a mile? Would he really be better off than if he played video games for all that time, had fun with some pals, and wasn't able to run a mile?*


*I can't run a mile, actually. And it would probably take me years to be able to. Scoff if you will.

You know, it took me forever to get the news of pussy daddy's muting because of how AWOL I've been.

I agree with this lady about following. I'll follow anyone I am interested in following whether or not they follow me back, although that is appreciated. I have to admit that I follow much fewer people than follow me because otherwise my twitter might get too confusing.

Some of today's photos may be salvageable. I've made two pairs of paper earrings, but I also have some necklaces and bracelets made of gemstones for fans of that type of item.

I'm in a treasury! My new paper crafting experiments are also turning out.

Etsy admin tells us that for god's sake, stop insulting huge groups of other sellers

I'm doing a great book sell off, to raise funds for future awesomeness. Paper punches, beads, ear wires...who knows what amazingness will be funded by my aweinspiring book sale?

On May Day, I learned about the beauty of contact paper.

Crafty Chica talks about crafty de mayo. I plan to do a lot of crafting today.

How to not be a twitter quitter.

Sources tell us that the Lone Beader has been accepted to a Northeast Prize Show up north.

Will etsy be banned from twitter? Don't worry etsians, I just wanted to write an exciting headline. My twitter is filled with stuff, and I don't think my twitter feed has been working lately, so I'll have to check on that.

I made four items today as well.I wonder if I'll be able to take photos? Probably not if I don't get to sleep soon.

Girlscantell wonders whether it's better to create high expectations or low ones as far as business is concerned.

High expectations is a problem for etsy, I notice. Because they go with all this community rhetoric, all this making a living by doing handmade stuff, folks start expecting things from them that they wouldn't expect if they said, we have web space, and flash toys. You sell things. It's all in how you say stuff.

That's why I'm more of a you pays your money, you gets your jewelry type. I can deliver that. I can't deliver earrings that make you ten times hotter[I've never seen you, and the sort of earring that looks best on someone changes with face shape, skin tone,etc], or bobby pins that cure flyaway hair, but I can make jewelry the best that I can and ship it pretty fast.

Etsians learn that moral superiority points don't put 6 to 9 months of money in savings. It's good to save money, but on the other hand, there are tons of people with special needs out there. People with children often run into expenses that are unexpected. Some people have health problems and need medicine, doctors, and can't just eat rice and beans. And not to mention, some people can't get one job, let alone two or three, or don't have the physical ability or stamina to work more than one job.

Hey, flytie has a new $30 and below line! Clothing that even I can afford! My life rocks!

Oh, etsy fans! They are fun either way. Oh, either way.

fresh eggs
Originally uploaded by cassowaryjewelry

This is a picture of some eggs my mom got from a hen in South Memphis[an urban area considered to be 'the ghetto']. Small scale agriculture can pop up anywhere. It's the growing season now, so shop local and shop often.

Some groups want to protect endangered chicken breeds. Here is a place to get started raising endangered breeds of chicken

Hey, I have a 1000 followers on twitter. I hope to someday have as many on facebook.

Found on totally tutorials- make violet syrup, impress your friends!


I don't have any cool tutorials on this blog. The only tip I know is to buy one of these ringdexes[I guess you could use special paper,a tough cardstock if you can, punch holes in it using a hole puncher, and then use a ring to put it all together, but that seems like something you'd only do for a gift], and write down quotes like "I'll renovate your a__" from Persona 4 or "We're lifting up people's souls'[some random guy interviewed on NPR] on them, so you can always have a little quote book attached to your purse.

American Apparel makes unattractive clothing for pregnant women.



From etsy, we have a fetus t shirt.



Custom hospital gowns

and much much more without enriching some woman hating pervo.

I entered the etsy worthy photo contest. I usually don't enter contests because I think how can I stack up against people who have been crafting for 20 years? and of course, I'm not that confident about my photos- a good picture is quite difficult to create, but it was easy to enter, so there I am.

Often overlooked in finger shaking watch what you say, a customer might be watching threads is the aspect of diversity. I was listening to this segment on how coming up to a coworker and asking them what are you might not be the best course of action if you want to make friends and influence people not to want to kick you in the bits. Heck, I don't like being asked about my heritage and I'm 'mixed' with black,negro and colored! [and one white guy, maybe.]

I was reading this thread and the problem with the I can offend anyone I want, and everyone should just trust my good intentions idea is the underlying assumption that everyone is either not a member of any minority groups or doesn't know anyone from any minority groups, and therefore knows that you don't 'mean' to hurt 'anyone'[unless it's people who 'get offended too easily' and therefore don't count].

Seriously, on the internet, we don't know your intentions and can only go by what you say. It's like a business transaction. If your jewelry falls apart or your soap causes my skin to break out, I'm not going to care about your intentions. I want you to make it right. And in these discussions, a lot of people are fed up with your intentions. We've heard about so many other people's good intentions. They go back and do the same things time after time. So why are you special? Do right or shut up about it, I say.

Don't listen to the news? I find that depressing. I love the news. From funny stories such as 'pot smokers smoke pot in park' to uplifting stories, such as the story behind American Violet. The news has them all. I love to be informed. I want to know things.

Also, today is Earth Day. So waste not, and want not. You don't have to buy a lot of expensive products to be green. As I heard on the news yesterday, reuse, recycle, and reduce. Be inventive. The first people to say hey, vinegar makes a great cleaner, were making use out of necessary. Ask your elders for tips on how to do things. Make your local pears into delicious preserves, quilt, and revive old traditions and connect the generations.

Our contest has ended with Cindi the winner. Here's her sense of style:

My sense of style is strictly my own. I used to sell designer clothing in a large department store chain.
I can't be constricted to one style or to wear clothing that isn't really me! Comfort is my style, but in a classic way!
Not baggy loose, but jeans with a classic shirt. The colors I enjoy wearing tend to be earthy! Sage greens, gray blues
and beige. I let the jewelry I wear be the colorful accents!

She wins the pictured jewelry!

Buy a game, get a subscription to a [really girly] magazine like Lucky or Bon Appetit? A sign of the feminization of casual games?

Of course, since I'm playing Persona 4, which has a boss like this[warning: stripper pole! but you can't see anything], and so I can see why there's a market for family friendly games that you can download easily and play fast, unlike Persona 4, which I'm 30 hours in, and probably am not to the half way point.

Amusingly I have more twitter followers than our local NPR station. I have 975, and wkno only had 574 My twitter. WKNO.

Earlier, a woman asked me why I thought I'd never be on the front page. I have good pictures. This sort of thing is why. I simply don't think like the front page makers. For example, today I made some jewelry. I looked in my bead box, saw what looked good, and made some jewelry. I didn't think 'graduations are coming up, so I'll make a certain style'. And my tags? I have a really hard time with tags. I usually put what color it is, what it is made of, what it is, and maybe some team tags.

I would never think of some of the tags that have been used to create front pages, simply because I don't think that way. When I buy I search for 'pink sterling silver dangle earrings' not 'rose sparkle mint julep earrings'

Advanced search? Could this be the answer to our etsy prayers?

Memphis farmers markets prepare to open. In the paper version, there was a fun bit about how when you do community supported agriculture, you sometimes end up with a whole bunch of zucchini in summer, and of course, the joy of tomatoes.

Odd things seen in Memphis today:

What appeared to be a school field trip to the public library. Poor kids.

A buttload of toddlers in a University of Memphis parking lot, escorted by police in a car and some older women, one of which who was wearing a cloth necklace made of geometric shapes.

CNN takes control of the cnnbrk account on twitter. Nearly a million followers. How did that account get so much reach? It provided a service that people wanted. Something they couldn't get anywhere else. Think of that when doing social networking,peeps!

Hey, I'm on cuteable today!

Man mixes politics with unusual food choice in 'coon supper'

Memphis historical group encourages recycling of door frames as art. It's garage sale season, and so I'll be finding old jewelry and deconstructing it. Watch this space for new experiments.

Win $25 worth of jewelry this week. Ending on Friday, the person with the best 100 word essay on their sense of style[as judged by me] gets their words published on this blog, and twenty five dollars worth of free jewelry! Write your message on my facebook fanpage wall!

Did the web kill the economy? It's nice to mention etsy here, but they forgot the big granddaddy of the microbusiness- ebay. Before etsy, we were all selling our old stereos, manga, and yes,handmade jewelry, on a low cost basis. Etsy only really allows people who can handmake things to grow their microbusiness- because that is their niche. I'm not saying that vintage and supplies aren't allowed, but the person who fixes old ipods wouldn't be able to thrive there.

As a microbusiness, I pump a lot of money into the economy, buying supplies and services. I'm not hoarding my cash- I'm spreading it around.

I had been reading about different generations in the workforce and that reminded me of this constant struggle on the etsy forums. Boomers are associated with a more rigid professionalism. Panty hose, pumps, no swears, ever! My generation 'Y' is more "I don't care if your hair is pink and green, I just want the work done'. You have to decide for yourself what your customer base is. I think mine is more of a 'that's all very nice, now give me my jewelry' type.

When we shop in a store, we don't know that the person at the front desk might swear, dress in terrible fashions, or write fanfiction full of underage sex. For all we know, the workers who make the outfits might do something we don't agree with. I don't think most people worry that deeply over something that's not a core ethical issue.

Expanding my clearance section. I'm hoping to bulk up my inventory, but I'm also branching out in new directions. Spring is certainly the time to learn new things.

Memphis area woman is in a battle to keep her goats. The chickens she owns were not an issue. This blog notes that Memphis allows laying hens. My aunt's neighbor used to have chickens, and code enforcement did not care. In our nicer area, down the street, a neighbor has horses and cows, but I think they may have been grandfathered in, as they hadn't sold their land for a long time, and no one has probably ever complained about their horses, cows,etc.

We nearly had a frost yesterday so I guess it was too early to plant after all.

People debate fur on etsy. Personally, I'm OK with the use of animal products in crafting. I use pearls myself. In my area, it's too warm to wear fur, so I don't wear it, but if other people want to wear it- it's their cash. Wool roving, leather wallets, all fine with me. It's a big world, and I don't want to regulate whether people can buy fur on etsy or not.

Updated my website with a where to find me on the webpage.

I should roll out my exciting contest soon.

OK, I admit it- I spent my 'buy some beads' money on this wacky interwebs t shirt. Now I need to recruit people to help me out on bead money.

You know, if you guys don't want to be on the front page, I'll be on there for you,ok?

All Natural is Bad! Yay for common sense and knowing how to make soap.

The White House is planting its own Victory Garden. In this time of pain and bad economics, let's reach out and garden. When I was in college, we had a garden. We produced organic greens and carrots. You can donate community garden veggies to the hungry, you know.

My necklace was featured! Woot! But sadly, I don't think it's polymer clay, is it? I don't actually have that necklace anymore. I sold it to someone.

Will Obama's small business loans boost the economy?

Etsy CEO apologizes.

I can't wait to show everyone my new items.

My policy on treasuries is as follows: I will not accept or offer gifts for inclusion in a treasury.

BTW: artfire only has 500 of those $7 accounts left. Need to beef up my inventory on all counts.

Matt talks about the 'confusion' on the billing.

Frowning yarn will make you pay your bills!

Yay, I'm featured in a new blog!

Time to update the press page.

People say that the artfire and etsy category designs are too much alike.

I've been sick for over a week, so my production and promotion have slacked off, but I still found the energy to create a new spotlight.

And of course, obligatory etsy thread.

Verybigjen's got a bone to pick with etsy.

Find out if you're in the treasury or the gift guides.

Best thread ever.

Has Vistaprint scammed you? Sue them then.

Admin removing posts on etsy.

This blog's personality type:

ESTP - The Doers

The active and playful type. They are especially attuned to people and things around them and often full of energy, talking, joking and engaging in physical out-door activities.

The Doers are happiest with action-filled work which craves their full attention and focus. They might be very impulsive and more keen on starting something new than following it through. They might have a problem with sitting still or remaining inactive for any period of time.


My personal type is INFP.

Etsy tries to change the search system up. Note that this would not have been implemented if we spent all our time trying to flatter the admin.

I'm creating a press page for my website as well.

I made a byhand spotlight- luck of the irish to you!

Today I experienced a cultural clash. Me and my relatives were trying to buy a pair of shoes for our grandmother- and sadly, on that side of town[in Whitehaven], half the stores we passed were closed because it was Sunday. Us shop all weekers were quite disappointed!

The picture illustrating this is a treasury I am in.

Now, sadly, I must deal out some reality cupcakes[although coldstone creamery is selling real cupcakes. I must buy some]

You know, the whole staying positive thing annoys me. I can see someone saying I'm trying to stay positive if their mom has cancer or they are addicted to drugs, but yeah, sometimes in business, we don't sell as much as we'd like. It's no biggie.

And really folks, please please please spend more time trying to figure out how the internet works than telling us all how to be. OK?

Group dedicated to saving old growth forest in Memphis is selling shirts as a fundraiser.

I love twitter. I use it as a combination slow IM, feed poster and reader, blog, and advertisement place. I use it as slow IM because the @replies mean that I can carry on a conversation over a period of hours, folks just chiming in whenever they have time. I also can chat with ten people at the same time, easily. I love talking to people on the internet.

I also use it to publish my feeds using twitterfeed, which means that every time I post a new blog post, a new etsy item or a new website item, people are alerted. I also use it as a feedreader, as my local newspaper posts breaking news and today's headlines on its twitter.

I also use it as a mini blog, for things that don't really require a whole blog post, but may interest others. I will also advertise, by randomly saying hey, I have a sale on it. I love multiuse internet thingies!

Yay! I'm featured on indie finds! Thanks folks!

Dear readers, what do you think about blogs devoted to calling out other etsy sellers? Right now, I feel sort of awkward about it.

Chocolatier 3 is FINALLY on big fish games. With the game club, bigfish is cheapest, but it does sometimes take a long time to get some games.

BTW: look at this video I found:



woodburning!!!

Look at that person's blog.

Etsians protest against harassing convos.

I need to post my backstock. I only have about ten items that I need to list, but it seems like a huge task.

I have had problems buying from artfire lately. Paypal always says the address for the seller is wrong. ArtfireJohn says some guy will fix this.

Casual games are finding a resurgence in the app store. They may cost 99 cents each, but if a million people buy them,that's a good million smackers. Why iphone games are cheaper than the same ones on pc is a mystery to me, though.

One of the five threads you'll find on etsy is someone copying and pasting some crappy email forward into the forums. My advice is just say no. Email forwards are the bane of the internet, causing more family to be blocked, office flamewars and passive aggressive sending of snopes.com links than any other form of communication.

They tend to be trite, full of misinformation and untruths, and worse- boring. So if you want stupidity to be associated with your name on the internet- write your own.

People argue about whether we're allowed to post our treasury screenshots on flickr.

Inside the Digital Television Transition.

Also, I played with tumblr.

Also, if you develop games, you can submit them to big fish games.

Hey, I want an etsy tote bag! But not for me.

Also, someone is selling a burial plot for a mere $3000!

I used soap's white tea and yuzu soap scrub. The sugar is vegan, so it does not have the pure white color you'd expect.

The texture was nice and scrubby, and now my skin is really moisturized. The scent stays but is not so strong that you can't go into a room without giving someone an asthma attack.

I hate the word 'bling'. In fact, I hate any appropriated two or three or five year old hip hop slang. In the mouths of the people who originated the terms, it is terrible and degrading society. In the mouths of old suburbanites, it is cute and cheeky. I don't like folks ripping off a culture, if they are the ones who were complaining about it in the first place.

Farley Obama poster parodies with Darwin on them? An awesome idea.

Pepsi plans to make soda with real sugar in it. They are probably trying to cash in on the OMG, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP IS THE DEVIL crowd. This is similar to 7 up making a fuss about how it is 'natural' as if that makes soda pop healthy for you. It doesn't. Really, folks.

People at work. I love seeing photos of workspaces, although mine is too embarrassing to shoot.

I'm packing up my 100th order on etsy! The lucky buyer will get some goodies! Wooot!

I got a lucky 1000th customer pack from girlscantell. If I were more popular, I'd do something like a lucky bag- for an hour, get a pack of random items. Maybe in the future. I wonder if my 100th customer should get something special?

Here's a tip for bloggers. Your blog does NOT have to be about you or your daily life. I usually don't blog much about myself because I do not like to be known. I want to blog about what interests me, which is usually gossiping about other people, or my travails in crafting.

My problem lately is that I buy too many supplies, as I've gotten into a new craft. That's technically about me, but I don't tell everyone about every single thing I do- like the fact that I spend a lot of time playing video games, and the fact that I'm surprised that I had the attention span to watch last week's Dollhouse.

So let it flow. Write about what interests you. It's probably not you.

I recently learned that my company's namesake the cassowary is awesome. Placing #1 on birds that can beat the crap out of you list, and being named the world's most dangerous bird. Females are more colorful than males. A cassowary is much larger than me usually, ranging from 5 feet to 6 feet, and over 130 pounds.

Cassowaries are cruise control for awesome.

Featured in Such Cool Stuff.

I hope I can have the stamina to take some photos today.

Hahaha, the Fuller Brush Company has a twitter.

T Shirt Hell guy unflounces.

Here are some awesome slogan shirts:

More Acid Please.

23 Skiddo

I also like black lava.

Especially the check other shirt and I will not love you long time.

Also, good old < / racism > shirt.

Girls Rock~

Vanilla, Chocolate Pirate.

Grow food, not subdivisions.

And of course, always buy handmade.

[so not my photo]

The sculptor and bookmaven of Rainy Day Paperbacks is fighting back against the CPSIA using the activist approach of photos and easily used internet macros. Let's support her in her fight.

I was featured on the bookmark collector blog. I'm overjoyed, as I also love bookmarks.

I even have bookmarks I dream of having. For example, I'd love to own this bookmark.. Actually, I think I will buy that bookmark. I might as well spread the love I was given,etc.

While everyone else is celebrating sexual love [or romantic love for you older people] over all other forms of love, helping break down the social links between people as we focus only on our own households, I'm going to talk about how we can build up our communities.

Check on senior citizens during severe weather, severe hot and cold spells, and volunteer at your senior center-

You can save lives by checking on senior citizens.

Organize in your community-

You see an injustice? Get out of bed and organize.

Spend time with your friends-

That girl that has no life but her boyfriend is really annoying. Have you been neglecting your friendships? Reconnect.

Realize that one person can't be your everything-

Your relationship can fall apart under the strain of the idea that one person must serve for all emotional needs. Don't do that to it. It's probably a fine relationship.

There's probably more, but remember- just because you're not humping someone doesn't mean it's not love. Friendships can be deeper and more profound than sexual relationships.

another look at me, I'm in the treasury post.



hey, same item in a different treasury.

[so not my pic!]

I love these oreo cookie soaps! Folks complain about folks who use bad language on forums, but dirty ass soaps is a funny business name, and most people who use the internet understand that there are sometimes bad words...on the internet.

It's time for let's spread rumors about artfire on the etsy forums.

Heh, that's the best twitter meltdown ever. Of course, this website is loading slowly, because it's been slashdotted by twitter. I need a word for websites that are slammed by twitter traffic. any help?

Today is really windy, so I took some pictures of items in a sunny window. My new found love for stamps is draining my wallet. I hope that thump there wasn't a garbage can flying by.

I need to take more pictures. I'm branching out in crafts, so my prototypes are being sold in my supply shop, as I'm stretching my talents. I have two of the new glass pendant design done fairly well, but I need to glue the bails onto them. I have two of my secret project done, one prototype that will be sold as a second, and one that is good enough to really sell.

Another etsy thread godwinned.

I did a major update of my supply shop. I always have some bibs and bobs I need to list. I included some prototypes for a new product line, so I guess you have a sneak peek there.

Hey, I found a tea review blog! I am awesome! I'm pretty nervous about my project tomorrow. I have to wake up early and not mess up. Of course, it'll be rainy, so I have to take that into account too. I wonder if I should take pictures of my paper crafts outside, but I worry that they will be blown away...

Hey, I found a new artist- audrey kawasaki. Yay me!

I've started a new product line. Bookmarks! So keep your eyes peeled for more of them.

Etsy grows an announcements forum. I had fun dropping in at the JET trunk show, but I went out to shop for craft supplies, so I didn't see the whole thing. I took some pictures of my new items today, and may or may not get them up before 9 o clock.

I'm in two treasuries:



Go Polka Dots!



Go limey!

Amazon.com is expanding into another market during this downturn. It's the casual games market. Gaming is a recession resistant market and casual games appeal to a wide range of gamers, so I applaud them. I'll probably still stay with big fish games, but I will of course take advantage of their free game downloads.[available until the 10th]

The downloading is not notably more difficult or buggier than bigfish. The market is crowded, but I think amazon can stand out.

Hey, I didn't know I was in this treasury Awesome! Props to Hyena!

The forums are exploding apparently, because ShadesJewelry got a love bomb from etsy. Ooo, I want one tooooo! Me! me! *is the person never invited to the party*

The original thread.

An ode to the urban entrepreneur. Hail to the urban entrepreneur. Folks hawking t shirts, hair braiding, even plates of home cooked food in our dense cities. Known often as a 'hustle' these side jobs are a whole underground economy of their own. They also have a long history. For example, in 1920s Harlem, there was the 'rent party' which shows the creativity of people working against systemic racism. This tradition lives on as a way to make up for the wage gaps in place. Every head of hair done on the side helps pay the car note, the rent, the heat. Work at home businesses have become popular, as craftspeople use their skills and talents to make a little extra cash.

On etsy, some lady is scared by someone's e-lawyer.

Now, here is how the internet works. Some people think by pretending they have lawyers and a legal leg to stand on when they have none that they can scare people off. Of course, this is a waste of time, as most folks are going to say [offensive term here] please! and ignore them, because really, in this season, people who work with silver *will* make heart shaped earrings. It's just a fact of life.

Etsy tries to fix our google analytics. I'm blogging tons today. I am supposed to be doing other things.

Timothy Adams get some concrit on etsy.

You know, I don't follow many people on twitter, just because I can't follow more than a certain number of people without losing the chatting piece. Of course, I don't really do much advertising on facebook, because all these people from real life want to be my friends on facebook.

Yay! I'm in a treasury!

Soapdeli misses the point. Yes, my process is different. It's different because I have different influences, different culture, different ways of being. When I go to my home church, our celebrations are of Kwanzaa, of black history month. When I talk to other blacks here, our experiences are common ground. We blacks here in Memphis have our own distinct culture, our own distinct way of speaking, our own distinct way of doing things. And our culture was not born with the birth of hip hop. It is old.

From our black insurance companies and banks to the legend of Tom Lee, who the park near the river is named after because he is said to have saved thirty white people, to the story of the black millionare who rebuilt Memphis after the yellow fever epidemic, we have history, we have roots.

And we have a different literature as well. I know bell hooks, I know Eric Jerome Dickey, the children in mom's class are reading Zane, although they aren't supposed to. We watch Tyler Perry on TV, and enjoy the Neely's.

We can draw from our old traditions as well as the new. And because of the depth of experience we have, we can infuse that into our works.

Also, hey, enjoy the works of the etsy artists of color. We are awesome. Awesome *because* of our roots, and because of our culture.

Memphians knit warm caps for the needy.