tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88678028713189205162024-03-13T21:53:14.793-05:00Miranda's Knitting, Quilting, and CraftsWelcome to Miranda's Blog! Subscribe to see new work, hear about sales, see what craft shows I'll be at next, and more. My mission: To spread the joy of knitting, crochet, quilting, and crafting and provide quality handmade, unique, one-of-a-kind items. I knit or crochet several evenings a week, after work and in social situations with family and friends. I knit what interests me, or what I've been commissioned to knit. Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082627278513282401noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867802871318920516.post-21353820717072803102012-06-17T08:00:00.000-05:002012-06-17T10:07:15.260-05:00Happy Father's Day<br />
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I like this graphic - it reminds me of my dad. My dad's the original hippy. Back in the day he sported long hair and he still has a full beard. His dream involves building a house in the "woods" and each year he tills up 3/4 of his backyard for a vegetable garden. He believes in organic produce and the ability of your body to heal itself. He told me just the other day he couldn't sleep, so at 3 in the morning he was trying to check out some yoga program on the television....</div>
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As a grown daughter, I appreciate all the help and support from my dad that has led me to the person I am today. Thanks to Dad and our projects together - I can build things from wood and use power tools; I am becoming a master at home repair; I've learned more about my car than I ever wanted to; and just last year I learned how to strip down the lawn mower and reassemble it. My dad's the original Mr. Fix-It, and through his tutelage I can now confidently replace the mysterious inner workings found in the back of the toilet tank or replace a ceiling fan - on my own. </div>
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My dad and I are a lot alike. We both love to talk and are happy to talk for hours (in person or on the phone) about our newest interests and passions. We regularly talk about our garden, health, books we've read, TV shows we watch, computer technology, the education system, and science and/or history documentaries. We do occasionally go weeks without chatting or visiting, but usually every week or two we get together to do a project at one of our houses or just hang out to watch TV together and catch up.</div>
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Father's Day prompts me to slow down and think about all the great memories I have with my dad, and all the reasons I love him. He helped provide a wonderful home for me to grow up in, and has remained a big part of my life after I've moved out. To my dad and all the other dads out there - have a Happy Father's Day and thanks for being a dad!<br />
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What great memories do you have of the Dads in your lives?<br />
<br />Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082627278513282401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867802871318920516.post-73706354328030805462012-05-20T10:30:00.000-05:002012-05-20T10:30:02.240-05:00DuctTape Rose Pens<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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My newest craft projects. After being inspired by seeing one of these pens, I decided I wanted to try to make them. They are suprisingly fun and addictive to make. Duct take come in all sorts of colors and patterns, and with a few hours effort you can end up with something like this. I was able to repurpose a small paper cutter that I have for my bookmark scrapbook paper. That made it easy to measure out the duct tape and cut small strips that were all the same size. Then a bit of folding and sticking, and you are off. A selection of these ended up at Mother's Day presents, and now the rest are available in my Etsy shop.</div>
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</div>Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082627278513282401noreply@blogger.com0198 South Boulder Ave W, Tulsa, OK 74172, USA36.1539816 -95.99277535.9488471 -96.308631999999989 36.3591161 -95.676918tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867802871318920516.post-64012849913646084502012-05-18T20:41:00.000-05:002012-05-18T20:41:25.756-05:00Building a Woodland Terrarium<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This week, my mom wanted to create a woodland terrarium for my grandmother for Mother's Day. (Yes, we are a little late) It turned out to be a fun project that was easy to make and we ended up with a very cute little terrarium. </div>
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First, gather the supplies:</div>
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Moss</div>
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Branches and Flowers (we chose silk plants, as we aren't too reliable at keeping small plants alive - must be a family trait).</div>
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Gather a fun glass container. We found this small glass decorative jar at the store and decided it would be perfect. :)</div>
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Other decorative elements. We found these silk butterflies at the store. And a deal. Two of the butterflies were missing and one was a bit ragged, so we bargained and got them for half off. Also, a nice sized rock - courtesy of the backyard.</div>
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Now, on to the decorating. Since all of our plants were silk, we didn't have to deal with potting soil or putting in a drainage level of gravel. We just used a hot glue gun to attach the stem to the bottom of the jar. And after a few attempts we were able to get it to stay in place.</div>
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Next, add some dried moss. The idea here is to have the moss over the bottom of the jar, creating a carpet-like effect.</div>
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After much trial and error with hot glue and some trimming, here is the successful attachment of moss and the stem/flowers.</div>
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Now to add some more decorative flowers. Detach flowers from the stems and hold in pliers.</div>
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Use hot glue gun to put a dot of hot glue on the flower.</div>
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Using pliers, place silk flowers into moss on onto rock until it looks festive. :P</div>
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Add a few more flowers just to be sure.</div>
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Very nice, with all the extra flowers. And the rock. Guess we forgot to take a picture of adding the rock. It went in after the moss.</div>
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Butterflies. What woodland terrarium would be complete without some visiting butterflies? Just like the silk flowers, detach butterflies from their wires and use dots of hot glue and pliers to place in realistic poses around the terrarium.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dzMS7RjNweY/T7b1loALK2I/AAAAAAAAA0I/Yu6y5s-rzK8/s1600/P1070741.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dzMS7RjNweY/T7b1loALK2I/AAAAAAAAA0I/Yu6y5s-rzK8/s320/P1070741.JPG" width="190" /></a></div>
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And here is the final result. A beautiful woodland terrarium. Perfect to bring a breath of spring into Grandma's house. :)</div>
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</div>Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082627278513282401noreply@blogger.com0Tulsa, OK, USA36.1539816 -95.99277535.9488471 -96.308631999999989 36.3591161 -95.676918tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867802871318920516.post-6018546533544816462012-01-01T12:26:00.000-06:002012-01-01T12:26:42.018-06:00Book Review: Doggirl by Robin Brande<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11119069-doggirl" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Doggirl (Print edition)" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1307287056m/11119069.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11119069-doggirl">Doggirl</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/150679.Robin_Brande">Robin Brande</a><br />
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My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/254240935">5 of 5 stars</a><br />
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Doggirl is a well-written coming of age story. Riley Case is a freshman in a new town at a new high school. That's enough to make anyone a bit self-concious. But Riley is coming from a bad situation at her old school. Riley was the odd-girl out because of her love and understanding for animals and her parent's hand-made values in a buy-more-stuff world. Riley has always stood a bit back from the crowd, trying not to get involved, and her one attempt last year resulted in major bullying from the students at her middle school. Cue the move to the new town and high school. <br />
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Throughout the book, Riley does a lot of self-analysis, as she worries about whether she should try to make friends at the new school, whether her parents are really happy with new jobs and a new city home as opposed to the farm life they left behind, and how to train and work with her dogs.<br />
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The major plot of the book centers around a school play. A group of students are entering a drama contest for an original play that has to be written, produced, and acted in 2 weeks. As part of the plot, the director is looking for a dog that can maybe walk across the stage on cue. Riley gathers her gumption to apply, and becomes the darling of the show with her 3 dogs that can be trained to do all sorts of tricks and even change the plot of the show. It's no secret that they steal the show. <br />
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In the midst of all of this postive attention for her and her dogs, Riley struggles with herself. Should she accept the cast's friendship at face value and become part of their team, or will they only turn on her and make her more of an outcast than before?<br />
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This book is well-written, has a good plot, and definitly pulls you into the characters. It also does a very good job of taking you through the thought process and steps of working with animals. I highly recommend it.<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/7040366-miranda">View all my reviews</a>Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082627278513282401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867802871318920516.post-50567608498540532842011-12-25T07:00:00.002-06:002011-12-25T07:00:00.603-06:00On the Twelfth Day of Christmas . . .My True Love gave to Me: <br />
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Huge Discounts & Free Stuff in the <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/MirandaGabrielle?ref=si_shop" target="_blank">Etsy Store</a>. Thank you for everyone who's been following along as we've counted down the Twelve Days of Christmas in the <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/MirandaGabrielle?ref=si_shop" target="_blank">Etsy Store</a>, each day with more discounts and Free Stuff. Today is the Twelfth Day of Christmas - Merry Christmas Everyone! :)<br />
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1813367339">For Today's Orders, the Biggest Prize Packages Yet:</a><br />
<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/MirandaGabrielle?ref=si_shop" target="_blank">Each order will receive:</a><br />
*24% off using coupon code: 11thDay<br />
*Free Washcloth or Scrubbie with all orders $25+<br />
*Free Laminated Bookmark with all orders (my choice of colors)<br />
*$10 OFF your next order of $25+<br />
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This Christmas, I'm thankful for my wonderful friends and family. This year we have 3 full days of feasting and visitings with different family members. We cook together, talk together, play games, and just enjoy ourselves. I hope everyone else is also having such a good Christmas holiday. Wishing the Joy and Peace of the Season is upon you. Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night!<br />
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~MirandaMirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082627278513282401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867802871318920516.post-41991524618228355262011-12-24T07:50:00.000-06:002011-12-24T07:50:21.998-06:0011th Day of ChristmasIt's Christmas Eve. Merry Christmas Everyone. <br />
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12 DAYS of Christmas Spirit! Celebrate these last few days, and gather last-minute gifts, by using coupon code: 11thDay to save 24% on all orders + TODAY, on the 11th Day of Christmas, all orders will receive a FREE WASHCLOTH or Scrubbie on every order of $25+, plus a 10% off coupon for your next order, Free Gift Wrap and a Free Laminated Bookmark with order (my choice of colors).<br />
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Today's the Eleventh Day of Christmas! Follow along each day, and earn increasing coupons, prizes, and free stuff each day from now until Christmas day for any order in the Etsy Shop! :)<br />
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For today's promotion, get a Free Washcloth or Scrubbie with each order of $25+, and get 24% off Today's Order, get a 10% off coupon for your Next order, Free Gift Wrap, PLUS a Free laminated colorful bookmark. What will tomorrow bring? In the spirit of the song, each day the coupon+prizes get larger until Christmas itself!Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082627278513282401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867802871318920516.post-43092943820499008822011-12-23T07:09:00.001-06:002011-12-23T07:15:20.369-06:00Today's the 10th Day of Christmas! We're almost there!12 DAYS of Christmas Spirit! Celebrate these last few days, and gather last-minute gifts, by using coupon code: 9thDay to save 20% on all orders of $25+, Plus TODAY, on the 10th Day of Christmas, all orders will receive a FREE WASHCLOTH or Scrubbie, plus a 10% off coupon for your next order, Free Gift Wrap and a Free Laminated Bookmark with order (my choice of colors).<br />
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Today's the Tenth Day of Christmas! Follow along each day, and earn increasing coupons, prizes, and free stuff each day from now until Christmas day for any order in the Etsy Shop! :)<br />
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For today's promotion, get a Free Washcloth or Scrubbie with each order of $25+, and get 20% off Today's Order, get a 10% off coupon for your Next order, Free Gift Wrap, PLUS a Free laminated colorful bookmark. <br />
What will tomorrow bring? In the spirit of the song, each day the coupon+prizes get larger until Christmas itself!<br />
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I hope everyone is having a wonderful week and is almost prepared for Christmas. My family Christmas events start tonight and last for 3 days with different meals at different houses. Today's goal involves some cooking for tonight's family dinner, finishing up some super secret crafts that will be presents for this weekend, and knitting more on a custom scarf that is almost finished. What are you up to?Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082627278513282401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867802871318920516.post-31924456696253744132011-12-22T06:00:00.002-06:002011-12-22T06:00:01.517-06:009th Day of ChristmasSo, what did my True Love bring to the Etsy Customers today?<br />
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For today's promotion, get 20% off Today's Order, get a 10% off coupon for your next order, Free Gift Wrap, PLUS a Free laminated colorful bookmark. What will tomorrow bring? In the spirit of the song, each day the coupon+prizes get larger until Christmas itself!Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082627278513282401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867802871318920516.post-53119706036893480972011-12-21T07:00:00.001-06:002011-12-21T07:00:43.752-06:00On the 8th Day of Christmas<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" id="twttrHubFrame" name="twttrHubFrame" scrolling="no" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets/hub.1324331373.html" style="height: 10px; position: absolute; top: -9999em; width: 10px;" tabindex="0"></iframe>My True Love Gave to ME:<br />
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12 DAYS of Christmas Spirit! Celebrate these last few days, and gather last-minute gifts, by using coupon code: 7thDay to save 18% on all orders + TODAY, on the 8th Day of Christmas, all orders will receive a 10% off coupon for your next order, Free Gift Wrap and a Free Laminated Bookmark with order (my choice of colors).<br />
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Today's the Eighth Day of Christmas! Follow along each day, and earn increasing coupons, prizes, and free stuff each day from now until Christmas day for any order in the Etsy Shop! :)<br />
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For today's promotion, get a 10% off coupon for your next order, Free Gift Wrap, a Free laminated colorful bookmark PLUS take 18% off any order. What will tomorrow bring? In the spirit of the song, each day the coupon+prizes get larger until Christmas itself!<br />
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<img alt="Hand Knit Flame Orange Shawl with Black Lacy Crochet Edging" height="135" src="http://img2.etsystatic.com/il_170x135.244157270.jpg" width="170" /> <img alt="Made-To-Order Fingerless Gloves - You Choose the Color" height="135" src="http://img3.etsystatic.com/il_170x135.295009755.jpg" width="170" /> <img alt="Super Soft, Super Light Weight Hand Knit Baby Blanket in Boucle Yarn" height="135" src="http://img0.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.290797224.jpg" width="200" />Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082627278513282401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867802871318920516.post-87777053671667354602011-12-20T06:00:00.002-06:002011-12-20T18:40:22.823-06:00Seventh Day of Christmas<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" id="twttrHubFrame" name="twttrHubFrame" scrolling="no" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets/hub.1324331373.html" style="height: 10px; position: absolute; top: -9999em; width: 10px;" tabindex="0"></iframe><a href="http://img3.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.290103959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="16" Yellow & Brass Butterfly Beaded ID Lanyard - FREE SHIPPING" border="0" height="131" src="http://img3.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.290103959.jpg" width="320" /></a>12 DAYS of Christmas Spirit! Celebrate these last few days, and gather last-minute gifts, by using coupon code: 7thDay to save 18% on all orders + TODAY, on the 7th Day of Christmas, all orders will receive Free Gift Wrap and a Free Laminated Bookmark with order (my choice of colors).<br />
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Today's the Seventh Day of Christmas! Follow along each day, and earn increasing coupons, prizes, and free stuff each day from now until Christmas day for any order in the Etsy Shop! :)<br />
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For today's promotion, get Free Gift Wrap, a Free laminated colorful bookmark PLUS take 18% off any order. What will tomorrow bring? In the spirit of the song, each day the coupon+prizes get larger until Christmas itself!<br />
<img height="137" src="http://img1.etsystatic.com/il_fullxfull.297046373.jpg" width="200" /> <img alt="Beige Faux Fun Fur Fashion Scarf - FREE SHIPPING" height="195" src="http://img2.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.290337366.jpg" width="200" /> <img height="111" src="http://img3.etsystatic.com/il_fullxfull.185664515.jpg" width="200" />Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082627278513282401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867802871318920516.post-65850698640921432262011-12-19T22:18:00.000-06:002011-12-19T22:18:20.694-06:00New Bookmarks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Tonight just posted the first bookmarks to the <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/MirandaGabrielle?ref=si_shop" target="_blank">Etsy Store</a>. Some bookmarks have tassels, and some are double sided. All are laminated to make them tough enough to last for a long time. I also plan to start adding some fun ribbon and bead embellishment to the tassels on future bookmarks. :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y7NaBUyGY6s/TvALYlig73I/AAAAAAAAAIY/5zPo4Vsp1qI/s1600/P1070212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y7NaBUyGY6s/TvALYlig73I/AAAAAAAAAIY/5zPo4Vsp1qI/s320/P1070212.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e34R9-PPKX8/TvALcwr9FqI/AAAAAAAAAIo/ZovpqN7NWyU/s1600/P1070216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="158" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e34R9-PPKX8/TvALcwr9FqI/AAAAAAAAAIo/ZovpqN7NWyU/s320/P1070216.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--B4aUzTPvV8/TvALfNAnm6I/AAAAAAAAAIw/bAjFGlYdYp0/s1600/P1070221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--B4aUzTPvV8/TvALfNAnm6I/AAAAAAAAAIw/bAjFGlYdYp0/s320/P1070221.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sitDZO3yM-s/TvALjyWJRsI/AAAAAAAAAI4/hIibG3S9MEU/s1600/P1070217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sitDZO3yM-s/TvALjyWJRsI/AAAAAAAAAI4/hIibG3S9MEU/s320/P1070217.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082627278513282401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867802871318920516.post-34641215808194445622011-12-19T08:12:00.000-06:002011-12-19T08:12:51.056-06:006th Day of Christmas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" id="twttrHubFrame" name="twttrHubFrame" scrolling="no" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets/hub.html" style="height: 10px; position: absolute; top: -9999em; width: 10px;" tabindex="0"></iframe><img alt="" height="100" src="http://img1.etsystatic.com/iusb_760x100.7688645.jpg" width="760" /><br />
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12 DAYS of Christmas Spirit! Celebrate these last few days, and gather last-minute gifts, by using coupon code: 5thDay to save 16% on all orders + TODAY, on the 6th Day of Christmas, all orders will receive a Free Shipping Upgrade (1 step), Free Gift Wrap and a Free Laminated Bookmark with order (my choice of colors).<br />
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Today's the Sixth Day of Christmas! Follow along each day, and earn increasing coupons, prizes, and free stuff each day from now until Christmas day for any order in the Etsy Shop! :)<br />
For today's promotion, get a Free Shipping Upgrade (1 step), Free Gift Wrap, a Free laminated colorful bookmark PLUS take 16% off any order. What will tomorrow bring? In the spirit of the song, each day the coupon+prizes get larger until Christmas itself!<br />
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Currently featuring handmade knitted items including baby hats, baby booties, scarves, head kerchiefs, headbands and other unique items from Tulsa, Oklahoma in the United States of America.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img3.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.195870771.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Red and Green Newborn Hat Skirt and Mary Jane Booties" border="0" src="http://img3.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.195870771.jpg" width="570" /></a></div>Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082627278513282401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867802871318920516.post-65829811761731241612011-12-18T08:00:00.001-06:002011-12-18T08:00:01.178-06:005th Day of Christmas<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" id="twttrHubFrame" name="twttrHubFrame" scrolling="no" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets/hub.html" style="height: 10px; position: absolute; top: -9999em; width: 10px;" tabindex="0"></iframe>On the 5th Day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me . . . <br />
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16% off all orders PLUS Free Gift Wrap Plus Free Laminated Bookmark with each order.<br />
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12 DAYS of Christmas Spirit! Celebrate these last few days, and gather last-minute gifts, by using coupon code: 5thDay to save 16% on all orders + TODAY, on the 5th Day of Christmas, all orders will receive Free Gift Wrap and a Free Laminated Bookmark with order (my choice of colors).<br />
<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/MirandaGabrielle?ref=si_shop">http://www.etsy.com/shop/MirandaGabrielle?ref=si_shop</a><br />
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<img alt="Bright Rainbow Chunky Baby Blanket" height="135" src="http://img3.etsystatic.com/il_170x135.290663831.jpg" width="170" /> <img alt="2 Hand Knit Cotton Wash Clothes" height="135" src="http://img0.etsystatic.com/il_170x135.290506268.jpg" width="170" /> <img alt="Bright Multicolored Head Kerchief - 100% Cotton - FREE SHIPPING" height="135" src="http://img3.etsystatic.com/il_170x135.289987107.jpg" width="170" /> <img alt="Jewel Tone Hand Knit Shawl is Perfect for Formal Dress Occasions" height="135" src="http://img0.etsystatic.com/il_170x135.244155676.jpg" width="170" /> <img alt="Cute Green Mary Jane Baby Booties - FREE SHIPPING" height="135" src="http://img3.etsystatic.com/il_170x135.183702227.jpg" width="170" /> <img alt="Hand Knit Kindle E-Reader Sleeve" height="135" src="http://img0.etsystatic.com/il_170x135.290595268.jpg" width="170" />Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082627278513282401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867802871318920516.post-79333613908014326102011-12-17T18:00:00.000-06:002011-12-17T18:00:02.541-06:00Book Review: Suburban Safari<div class="leftAlignedImage"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/391349.Suburban_Safari"><img alt="Suburban Safari by Hannah Holmes" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1316637365l/391349.jpg" title="Suburban Safari by Hannah Holmes" width="100" /></a> <span class="item"><span class="fn"><a class="bookTitle" href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/391349.Suburban_Safari" itemprop="url">Suburban Safari: A Year on the Lawn</a></span> </span><br />
<span class="by smallText">by</span> <span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><a class="authorName" href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/40825.Hannah_Holmes" itemprop="url"><span itemprop="name">Hannah Holmes</span></a> </span></div><div class="hreview"><div itemprop="reviews" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Review"><div class="grey500Box"><div class="grey500BoxBody"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="leftAlignedImage" href="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7040366-miranda" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding-top: 2px;"><img alt="7040366" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1322166229p2/7040366.jpg" /></a><span class="reviewer"><a class="userReview" href="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7040366-miranda" itemprop="author">Miranda</a></span>'s review <span itemprop="publishDate">Nov 25, 11</span> <span class="value-title" title="2011-11-25"></span></div><div class="grey500BoxContent"><div><br />
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<div class="rating" itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="4 of 5 stars" height="15" src="http://d2owxupnsl35mn.cloudfront.net/images/layout/stars/red_star_4_of_5.png?1323370720" title="4 of 5 stars, really liked it" width="75" /> </div><div class="rating" itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="rating" itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="text-align: center;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</div><div class="rating" itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="text-align: center;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</div><br />
<div class="reviewText mediumText description" itemprop="reviewBody">This fun mainstream nonfiction book takes environmental awareness to a new level. Hannah Holmes resolves to spend one year examining, in minute detail, her yard. She brings in experts to help her learn about some areas of her yard (entomolgy anyone?) and does historical research into the past life of her yard. Hannah Holmes writes in a very down-to-earth style that is extremely easy to follow. She shares her personal thoughts intertwined with the stories of the "characters" found in the yard. You'll never look at your yard the same way again. My favorite take-away message - mowing infrequently and not worrying about weeds in the yard is an environmentally healthy behavior. Go green! :) </div></div></div></div></div></div><br />
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Now for some fun photos of my yard: <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U2yRU7WPk4Y/TulfkCp9S6I/AAAAAAAAAHE/0JlHASmM144/s1600/P1010142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" oda="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U2yRU7WPk4Y/TulfkCp9S6I/AAAAAAAAAHE/0JlHASmM144/s320/P1010142.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rV6yGWJn6vk/Tulfk2jBfWI/AAAAAAAAAHM/yXBVjIRLBYM/s1600/P1010139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" oda="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rV6yGWJn6vk/Tulfk2jBfWI/AAAAAAAAAHM/yXBVjIRLBYM/s320/P1010139.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uNbj58iXD2g/Tulfljg8_2I/AAAAAAAAAHU/xd31K1ZvPwE/s1600/P1010143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" oda="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uNbj58iXD2g/Tulfljg8_2I/AAAAAAAAAHU/xd31K1ZvPwE/s320/P1010143.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">LOL - looking back, I found this excerpt from one of my very first blog posts last summer. See how I reference the book, <em>Suburban Safari.</em> :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OkyclfUgiI8/TeZoFPNYIhI/AAAAAAAAAA8/Ld_0MhmZTLA/s1600/P1050495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OkyclfUgiI8/TeZoFPNYIhI/AAAAAAAAAA8/Ld_0MhmZTLA/s320/P1050495.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><em>"Yes, that is definitely some tall grass. And for those of you that are observant, you'll notice the grass in the foreground is fairly short. If we zoomed back, you'd see patches of tall grass all over my yard, with most of it being fairly short. I call this my Freedom Lawn. I found the term in a book once, and have adopted it for my own. The idea is that you keep your lawn free from chemicals, and so lots of different organisms can make it their habitat. I think the idea has ecological principles. For me, whatever gives me less interaction with my lawn is the way to go, so my usual practice is to scalp it about every two weeks, come what may. Looking at this, it appears it is time once again to do battle with the lawn mower and tackle the yard.</em><br />
<em>. . . . . . . Lawn mowing really doesn't take that much time, if I can get the mower started (my next mower will be a key start </em>{turns out is wasn't}<em> ). As I'm mowing, I notice all the different types of small grasses and weeds that grow short to the ground. They grow 2-3" tall, so have adapted to survive under the range of the lawn mower blades. One species has pretty, tiny yellow flowers right now. Another - white. The flower stalks are all sacrificed to the lawn mower blade. Most of them have a very quick blooming cycle, so will probably be able to get some other flowers up and pollinated by all the insects in my yard before the next mowing cycle. My thoughts turn to our school guinea pigs, Tallula and Bella. Now that it's warm, I need to start bringing them out to graze in the yard. They would surely enjoy all these different types of grasses </em>{turns out they didn't}<em>. And now it's done, and the yard looks smooth and green:"</em><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tLuvHzmVmL0/TeZqp4EBuiI/AAAAAAAAABA/XywWRfPihJY/s1600/P1050497.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tLuvHzmVmL0/TeZqp4EBuiI/AAAAAAAAABA/XywWRfPihJY/s320/P1050497.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div align="left"></div>Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082627278513282401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867802871318920516.post-30304645747374538292011-12-17T06:17:00.000-06:002011-12-17T06:17:25.981-06:004th Day of ChristmasOn the Fourth Day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me . . . <br />
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Free Gift Wrap on All Purchases!<br />
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12 DAYS of Christmas Spirit! Celebrate these last few days, and gather last-minute gifts, by using coupon code: 3rdDay to save 14% on all orders + TODAY, on the 4th Day of Christmas, all orders will receive Free Gift Wrap and a Free Laminated Bookmark with order (my choice of colors).<br />
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Today's the Fourth Day of Christmas! Follow along each day, and earn increasing coupons, prizes, and free stuff each day from now until Christmas day for any order in the Etsy Shop! :)<br />
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/MirandaGabrielle?ref=si_shop">http://www.etsy.com/shop/MirandaGabrielle?ref=si_shop</a>Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082627278513282401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867802871318920516.post-57555221618008355482011-12-16T18:00:00.000-06:002011-12-16T18:00:02.189-06:00Making Bookmarks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A few weeks ago, I was browsing around on <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/">http://www.goodreads.com/</a> and came across this thread on <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/630594-what-do-you-use-for-a-bookmark?page=3&type=topic#comment_40634110" target="_blank">"What do you use for a bookmark?"</a>. As an avid reader, bookmarks are fact of life. I read several books a week (usually sequentially), but rarely do I finish a book in one setting. Hence, a bookmark. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have a hidden passion for bookmarks. Beautiful ones with colorful tassels, cartoons with jokes, inspirational quotes, even those impractical metal ones with the beads and ribbons hanging off the end. When I was younger I had quite the bookmark collection going. In my modern, book-reading life, however, bookmarks are most often a scrap of paper, a receipt, an (unused) Kleenex, or even a dryer sheet. In short, whatever happens to be near at hand at the exact moment that the book needs to be set down. I've found over the years that my fancy bookmarks are often top-heavy and fall out of books while I read, or I put them down and then don't find them, or even more likely, they end up staying in the book and I move on to a new book with no bookmark.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But, back to the book forum. Reading through this thread of fellow book lovers re-inspired my thoughts of beautiful, fun, creative bookmarks. There were several readers, like me, who used household scraps to hold the place in their book. There were several more who told of creating all sorts of fun personal bookmarks. After reading several people's ideas, I decided to try for myself. Here are the results of my first set of bookmarks.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My plan was to use colorful scrapbooking paper and a small personal laminitor that I've bought for my classroom. My first night of efforts turned out pretty good, but kind of rough. They were different <span style="background-color: white;">lengths as I adjusted what felt most comfortable to me. I used several different sheets of scrapbooking paper, so ended up with a fun variety. I shared a few of those with some of my fellow teachers who like to read. I did want to go a bit further, and get a bit more elaborate, so on my next go-around, ended up with the bookmarks pictured here. These were inspired as 2 individual sets to give to some friends as a host/hostess gift slash Christmas present.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In this first set of pictures - for her. She's a Harry Potter fan, and has read the books and watched the movies. In fact, we've watched 2 of the movies together, so I can attest to her fanhood. I <span style="background-color: white;">decided I wanted to create something Harry Potter themed, but give it a fun, girly twist. </span>In the set of 5 bookmarks, each has a fun tassel, ribbon, or beaded ribbon that will stick out of the book. On the front, on white cardstock, I printed out some fun phrases and pictures that have to do with Harry Potter. On the back of each bookmark I put a fun colored pattern of scrapbooking paper.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8de7Dt181LU/TulP9qgP7gI/AAAAAAAAAFk/bbaFkMnV-f8/s1600/P1070110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" oda="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8de7Dt181LU/TulP9qgP7gI/AAAAAAAAAFk/bbaFkMnV-f8/s320/P1070110.JPG" width="273" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here is a close up of the tasseled bookmarks. I actually found a website that gave instructions on making bookmark tassels, so they worked well here. I have a Super Fun tiny hole punch that punches a Star instead of a round circle. I used that on the bookmarks to create the hole for the ribbons and tassels to thread through. For these bookmarks, the pink tassel has a quote from Luna Lovegood, "You're just as sane as me" with her fun glasses. The blue tassel has a quote from Albus Dumbledore to Harry in the first movie, "It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oG1YaK7n3p0/TulQAwzrjLI/AAAAAAAAAFs/JSGuj7fmoMw/s1600/P1070111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" oda="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oG1YaK7n3p0/TulQAwzrjLI/AAAAAAAAAFs/JSGuj7fmoMw/s320/P1070111.JPG" width="246" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">This is one of my favorite fun <span style="background-color: white;"></span>tassels. This tassel consists of 3 different ribbons, beads, and some charms. The main ribbon is a colorful white with bright stars. The thinner two ribbons are complimentary colors that match some of the stars. Each of the solid ribbons are threaded with bright, primary colored plastic tube beads on one strand and a metal star charm on the other. The beads and charms are spaced out using knots to give it more dimension. The star ribbon is also tied at the end (to prevent fraying) and has a small black bead at the knot. On the bookmark itself, there is an envelope, complete with stamps, addressed to Harry Potter in the Cupboard under the Stairs.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2R7ow-kXPp0/TulQCftq8tI/AAAAAAAAAF0/1lnCTeXp_bY/s1600/P1070112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" oda="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2R7ow-kXPp0/TulQCftq8tI/AAAAAAAAAF0/1lnCTeXp_bY/s320/P1070112.JPG" width="192" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This bookmark is one of my favorites. It starts out with a quote from Hermione to Ron, "You've got the Emotional Range of a Teaspoon." It has an elegantly simple tassel of a soft, satin-finished deep maroon ribbon. This thick ribbon drapes elegantly from the book, reminding me of Hermione's simple elegance.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FNYNSdu9hxo/TulQE4P7ThI/AAAAAAAAAF8/mzXzDZZMHNc/s1600/P1070113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" oda="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FNYNSdu9hxo/TulQE4P7ThI/AAAAAAAAAF8/mzXzDZZMHNc/s320/P1070113.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><br />
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For this last bookmark in the series, I chose the quote that applies to many of us, "I grew up with the boy who lived in the cupboard under the stairs." I think this is true, especially for this series. This was a long series of books, realistically appearing about every year, so you really did feel like you were growing up with Harry and living his life. Having the movies come out in the same timespan, with the same actors who we watched grow up, reinforced this idea. Now that all the books are out, people will be able to read the books much quicker and not have quite this same experience. I wanted this tassel to be simple, but again, a little more interesting than the basic tassel. I chose a two-toned black ribbon with a thin gold ribbing. I cut it just long enough that it will stick out above the books pages perhaps an inch, and cut the ends into a finished V shape.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2rCU6fDCNr4/TulQGBjuaAI/AAAAAAAAAGE/TagvmgZyOP0/s1600/P1070114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" oda="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2rCU6fDCNr4/TulQGBjuaAI/AAAAAAAAAGE/TagvmgZyOP0/s320/P1070114.JPG" width="245" /></a></div><br />
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Here are the backs of all the above bookmarks. I chose color-coordinating prints to go with the tassels and what was on the front of the bookmark. After putting the scrapbooking paper together with the front of the bookmark, each was laminated, and then trimmed to shape before the tassels were added. Overall, I'm fairly pleased with these bookmarks and hope that they will be enjoyed for years to come.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1jRygwF_OsQ/TulQIqBMGLI/AAAAAAAAAGM/S2oKy9xTUEk/s1600/P1070115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" oda="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1jRygwF_OsQ/TulQIqBMGLI/AAAAAAAAAGM/S2oKy9xTUEk/s320/P1070115.JPG" width="304" /></a></div><br />
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Now, on to the next set. They aren't as "bookish" - being more themed based for the person they were made for than related to any literary excerpts. The theme of this was for a first-year science teacher. He's teaching middle school science, so a little bit of all the basic science themes. My plan for his set was to have some sort of science or teacher related graphic on the front, and colorful paper on the back. No tassels here, because - well, are tassels manly? Not sure about that. These bookmarks will work equally well for reading books or to mark the place in the textbook between classes.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CnbGqYkfv50/TulQKegfaFI/AAAAAAAAAGU/mVUx-Uh642A/s1600/P1070116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" oda="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CnbGqYkfv50/TulQKegfaFI/AAAAAAAAAGU/mVUx-Uh642A/s320/P1070116.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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These first two. A mad scientist. What else for a science teacher? As a science teacher myself, you have to be a bit mad during class, and the crazier the experiment is, the more the students will remember it and get involved. (And anyway, they probably think we're crazy anyway because we care about all this science stuff). Then, the second one has a basic science rule that is true, but always makes us laugh during the safety video, "What I learned in the Lab: Hot Glass Looks the Same as Cold Glass." Oops. It's funny because it's true.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zPzHE5D89e8/TulQMETrbJI/AAAAAAAAAGc/XUbAuKUK1NE/s1600/P1070117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" oda="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zPzHE5D89e8/TulQMETrbJI/AAAAAAAAAGc/XUbAuKUK1NE/s320/P1070117.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Next up: "Trust me, I'm a Science Teacher." Just a fun science phrase. Then, "Warning: Mad Science At Work." Same reasoning as the mad scientist. And my favorite, "Back in my day, PLUTO was a planet." LOL.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AMf70EVDlj4/TulQN2tMRaI/AAAAAAAAAGk/i09azYC_LtM/s1600/P1070118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="169" oda="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AMf70EVDlj4/TulQN2tMRaI/AAAAAAAAAGk/i09azYC_LtM/s320/P1070118.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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And here are the backs of these bookmarks. Some repetition, because I'm afraid I had quite a few girly scrapbooking pages, and not so many neutral ones. That's okay - I think that makes this look more like a set, anyway. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rXGvyEtIjLE/TulQQhqL9EI/AAAAAAAAAG0/yP-2V1wqn2A/s1600/P1070120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" oda="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rXGvyEtIjLE/TulQQhqL9EI/AAAAAAAAAG0/yP-2V1wqn2A/s320/P1070120.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082627278513282401noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867802871318920516.post-7641356835007038452011-12-16T06:00:00.003-06:002011-12-16T06:00:05.614-06:00On the Third Day of ChristmasOn the 3rd Day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me........<br />
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14% off and a F-R-E-E Bookmark with every order. Yeah!<br />
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Use Coupon Code: 3RDDAY<br />
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/MirandaGabrielle">http://www.etsy.com/shop/MirandaGabrielle</a>Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082627278513282401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867802871318920516.post-25096159326936766912011-12-15T18:00:00.000-06:002011-12-15T18:00:06.227-06:00Book Review: Deadly Straits by R. E. McDermott<div class="leftContainer" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Book"><div class="leftAlignedImage"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12230843-deadly-straits"><img alt="Deadly Straits by R.E. McDermott" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51clX9U8R%2BL.jpg" title="Deadly Straits by R.E. McDermott" width="100" /></a> <span class="item"><span class="fn"><a class="bookTitle" href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12230843-deadly-straits" itemprop="url">Deadly Straits</a></span> </span><br />
<span class="by smallText">by</span> <span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><a class="authorName" href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5068892.R_E_McDermott" itemprop="url"><span itemprop="name">R.E. McDermott</span></a> <span class="greyText" title="Goodreads Author!">(Goodreads Author)</span> </span></div><span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"></span></div><br />
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<div class="leftAlignedImage" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Book"><br />
</div><div class="hreview" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Book"><div itemprop="reviews" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Review"><div class="grey500Box"><div class="grey500BoxBody"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a class="leftAlignedImage" href="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7040366-miranda" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding-top: 2px;"><img alt="7040366" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1322166229p2/7040366.jpg" /></a> <span class="reviewer"><a class="userReview" href="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7040366-miranda" itemprop="author">Miranda</a></span>'s review <span itemprop="publishDate">Dec 08, 11</span> <span class="value-title" title="2011-12-08"></span></div><div class="grey500BoxContent"><br />
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<div class="rating" itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="4 of 5 stars" height="15" src="http://d2owxupnsl35mn.cloudfront.net/images/layout/stars/red_star_4_of_5.png?1323370720" title="4 of 5 stars, really liked it" width="75" /> </div><div class="rating" itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating"></div><div class="rating" itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating"></div><div class="grey500BoxContent"><span class="userReview">Bookshelves: </span><a class="actionLinkLite" href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/7040366-miranda?shelf=first-reads">first-reads</a> </div><div class="grey500BoxContent">Recommended to Miranda by: R. E. McDermott </div><div class="grey500BoxContent">Recommended for: anyone; it's a fine example in this genre of action thriller </div><div class="grey500BoxContent">Read from December 04 to 08, 2011, read count: 1 </div></div><div class="grey500BoxBody"></div><div class="grey500BoxBody"><br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</div><div class="grey500BoxBody">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</div><div class="grey500BoxContent"><br class="clear" /></div><div class="reviewText mediumText description" itemprop="reviewBody">Very impressed! This is one of my "first-read" books, which is awesome. In fact, I didn't win a print copy of the book, but Mr. McDermott sent me a Kindle book to read. My first "first-read" book, and the first book I read on my new Kindle. Double awesome! :) <br />
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Reading this book, I would never have guessed that Mr. McDermott was a first time author. The story line is smooth and well-written, characters are developed and interesting, and the plot moves along very quickly with lots of twists and turns. I was definately always interested in what was on the next page. <br />
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The plot line was complex - moving from one character's viewpoint to another, reminiscent of David Baldacci's books. That is a very intricate style of writing - to be able to keep track of several different viewpoints and what is happening in the plot in many places, and make them blend together to make sense in the story's timeline. Again - kudos to a first time author here! <br />
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The topic of the book deals with political terrorism involving industries & economies of many different countries around the world. The main industry was the shipping industry, particularly big tanker ships, but involved many other types of merchandise that would be shipped across the ocean on the ships. The main characters involved shipping CEO's, national political leaders, spies, fanatical terrorists, and general "worker class" people. From early on, it was easy to connect with the 'good guys' and I was rooting for them throughout the story. <br />
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The book starts out with a bang, and is a page-turning, action-packed story all the way through. Several times I was suprised by where the story turned, but in the end it all tied together and enriched the plot. <br />
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I give this book 4 stars, as it was interesting, well-written, and one I highly recommend to anyone interested in this genre of book. <br />
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</div><div class="reviewText mediumText description" itemprop="reviewBody"></div><div class="reviewText mediumText description" itemprop="reviewBody">Join me at <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/">http://www.goodreads.com/</a> to read books, create reviews, and share information about books with friends. :)</div></div></div></div>Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082627278513282401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867802871318920516.post-49423108971163230832011-12-15T06:15:00.000-06:002011-12-15T06:15:19.134-06:00On the 2nd Day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me . . .Good Morning. Welcome to the Second Day of Christmas. My Etsy Store is counting down the days until Christmas. Each day there will be a new prize/coupon with each order. <br />
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So, on the Second Day of Christmas my True Love gave to me: a FREE Laminated Bookmark with each order AND 12% off all orders with the coupon code: 1stDay.<br />
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What will tomorrow bring? In the spirit of the song, each day the coupon+prizes get larger until Christmas itself!Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082627278513282401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867802871318920516.post-13161460802525279222011-12-15T00:01:00.001-06:002011-12-15T00:01:00.461-06:00Bedtime<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">My eyes are crossed, fingers weak.....it's highly time to get some sleep!</span></strong></em></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Sleepy" src="http://images.paraorkut.com/img/pics/glitters/s/sleepy-8992.jpg" style="height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></div>Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082627278513282401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867802871318920516.post-74540814563758291472011-12-14T17:31:00.000-06:002011-12-14T17:31:41.753-06:0012 Days of Christmas: On the First Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me....Today's the First Day of Christmas. Only 12 more days left until the big day. Are you excited? Nervous? Anxious to get that last minute shopping finished? Me too.<br />
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I'm very excited that I have two more days of final exams, and then I'm free for Christmas break along with the kids. <br />
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To finish our of Christmas season, I have one last promotion for the Etsy store. The 12 Days of Christmas. Each day from now until Christmas, check back in to see what new coupon, discount, prize, or free stuff you can get when you make a purchase. <br />
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Today, to kick us off: Take 12% off any order using Coupon Code: 1stDay. What will tomorrow bring? In the spirit of the song, each day the coupon+prizes get larger until Christmas itself!<br />
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Some of my favorite things:<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--VmSGxdaB34/TukxEWPl6mI/AAAAAAAAAFc/74F-bHw81L4/s1600/P1060871.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" oda="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--VmSGxdaB34/TukxEWPl6mI/AAAAAAAAAFc/74F-bHw81L4/s200/P1060871.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vpG7NfOlqSI/TukwR_-e89I/AAAAAAAAAEM/uUsIiEFH998/s1600/fleece+giraffe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" oda="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vpG7NfOlqSI/TukwR_-e89I/AAAAAAAAAEM/uUsIiEFH998/s200/fleece+giraffe.jpg" width="174" /></a></div>Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082627278513282401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867802871318920516.post-16631027518145281982011-11-27T09:00:00.000-06:002011-11-27T09:00:43.722-06:00Reading, Reviewing, and Sharing a Love of BooksThis weekend I've thought a lot about books. We'll blame that on my sister, Sam. Over Thanksgiving visits, Sam sent me the link to <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/">www.goodreads.com</a> saying, "You'll like this." Trusting sisterly judgement and always intrigued by things having to do with books and reading, I gave it a whirl. And a whirl. And another one, just for good measure. Wow - I spent literally hours on this website. Score one for Sam.<br />
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So, the basic premise, for those of you like me who've managed to never see this website before, is sort of like a cross between Facebook and your own personal record of what you've read, when you've read it, and how you felt about it. Once you get logged onto your account, you can create a list of books that you have read. You get to rate them up to 5 stars, and if you feel loquacious, you can even write a review about how your felt or summarize the book so you'll remember it later. <br />
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Then, enter the friends. You can connect with friends already on the website, but, if that's not enough social networking for you, you can hook into your Twitter and Facebook feeds. I did this, and now apparently every time I even update what page I'm on or rate a book, it Tweets for me. (We may have to rethink that, because I'm a voracious reader, and that might get to be too much for my fellow twitter-ers). <br />
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Another plus - reviews. If you're a reader like me, you probably talk about reading with your other reader-friends. You know who they are - the people that also read for pleasure and can plough through books like nobodies business. For years, my reading experiences have included: reading all the books by favorite authors (and eagerly awaiting the next), slumming to new shelves in the library and just picking up books whose brightly colored spines caught my attention, OR.....getting book suggestions from my fellow readers. Once you're in the "reading" group, you quickly develop those friends with whom you pass books around and around and around with. Some of my books go to 4 people before coming back to me, and I'm on the receiving end as well.<br />
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Well, with this new website, now there are more options for reviews. Of course, it's a "smart" website, which means it will take into account books you've already read and how you rated them, and then give you the computer's pick of what you might like. (It's scary how accurate that computer is). But, then you have all your online friends. You get to see what they are reading and how they rate and review books, which gives you a good idea if you'd like to read it as well. You might even find some of your favorite authors, and see what they are reading or what they've recommended. Score!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EQcE5HhkDY4/TtHCeR-v2wI/AAAAAAAAAD8/fLtQ6XoqsPc/s1600/girl+reading.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>One of the feature's that Sam mentioned to me that caught my attention was Give-Away Books. Wow. Someone gives away books for you to read and review? Sounds like my kind of thing (well, I guess depending on topics). So, I decided to check this out. Sure enough, when I went to look on their page, there were 28 pages of multiple listings of all sorts of books that are being given away. Now, it's kind of like a drawing. You choose which books you are interested in and submit your name. And then, if you get chosen out of the hundreds or sometimes thousands of entrants, you'll get a book. I love the phrasing in the rules for how winners are chosen: <em>"If more people are interested in a book than there are copies available, we will pick the winners at our discretion. The factors that go into our algorithm are: randomness, site activity, genre of books on your shelves, current phase of the moon, and more." </em>I've tried what I could to improve my chances of being chosen (rated lots books of several different genres that I've read, written several reviews, and participated on the website a lot. Fingers crossed.)<br />
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Back to my activities that kept me on the website for so long. First of all, I chose some of my favorite authors, and went back and rated all the books I could remember off the top of my head that I'd read. That number climbed amazingly high - quickly into the hundreds. You're supposed to write when you read the book. Most, I'm afraid, I left blank. Who remembers when you first read a book? Especially one you're reread many many times because you love it? (Some of them I cheated, and looked on amazon.com to see when I reviewed or bought the book, but not many - that takes a lot of time). So, as of right now, my number is up to a respectable 400+ books. I have many more than that on my shelves alone, not even thinking of library books or borrowed books, or even books at school. But it's a start.<br />
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Then I searched around. Joined a few book discussion groups about topics or authors that I'm interested in. Also - found some of my authors on the site, so followed them to see what they are up to and what they are reading. Checked to see if any of my friends were on the site (no they aren't - or I'd <em>already know</em> about this this). Invited a few select bookish friends to join to play with me.<br />
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However, the real time-hog are the quizzes. Based on books you've read, there are quizzes available created by other members that test your knowledge of what you have read. Now, I'll be the first to admit, when I read a book I am totally in the book, experiencing it. When I love it, not a lot of deep thinking going on. That may be why I can reread the books over and over again. Objectively I do know what is going to happen next, but I re-experience it each time. But, with some of the books that I've reread a lot, or studied, or are the basis for many literary themes - I do know a lot of details. So, that is pretty addicting and fun for me to try that. Not that I'm amazing at the quizzes by any means. There is one quiz - the Never Ending Book Quiz. It has thousands, if not more, questions. I think it just picks a random set for you to try until you get tired. And your scores just accumulate. You can skip if you don't know the answer (well, you should, if you are in this for the scores). Just last night I got on this, and there went a couple of hours. 600 questions later, my score is in the 50% range. However, I did amaze myself with how much I remembered from classical literature and my school days (and how much I could somehow intuitively guess). Because most of those questions were not about books I would choose to be quizzed over. LOL.<br />
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So - if you are a reader, and interested in playing on a website with other fellow readers, <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7040366-miranda" target="_blank">look me up</a>. I'm the one that is always reading. <br />
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</div>Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082627278513282401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867802871318920516.post-67187586641435095552011-11-26T17:24:00.003-06:002011-11-26T23:25:45.681-06:00Etsy-Listing-Fool<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">Today I'm just an Etsy-Listing-Fool. One of my goals this weekend was to dig out stuff from my craft show tubs that is not on Etsy, and put it up there. I especially wanted to take advantage of the big sale weekend. (Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday). In my store, I've listed everything is 25% this Friday through Monday with coupon code SMALLBUSINSAT112611. I also registered my store with American Express Small Business Saturday. Last, but not lease, I've been putting up my store URL and classified ads all over the internet. Like this:</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/MirandaGabrielle">http://www.etsy.com/shop/MirandaGabrielle</a><br />
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Part of my goal was to add listings in small groups a couple of times a day through the weekend. Two purposes - it does take some time to type up the long form involved with listing items (and taking pictures, if needed, and editing them too) and by the time I put several up, I'm ready for a stretch break. And second - when your listing is first added, it shows up briefly in the top of the searches, so it is more likely to get noticed. So, if the entries are spaced out, I'm more likely to attact more people to my page.<br />
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<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">So far - 20 new listings in the past 24 hours. Wow. And so many more to go. How did I create so much stuff and just take it to craft shows instead of putting it online? LOL. Here's to hoping this sparks some sales. So far I can tell it's definately sparked a lot of people passing through the store or listings. Etsy has a neat feature (somewhat addicting), which allows you to see your shop statistics - like how many visitors you've had in the last hour - to the shop or an item, which items have been viewed, and if they came from etsy, a link, or a search engine. Most of my traffic seems to come from direct links - which probably means when I post on Facebook or Twitter, or from direct classified ads that I put up online that have a link to my store in them. Which goes to show what I've suspected all along, that my shop has a much better chance of selling stuff if I actually spend time tending to it instead of ignoring it. Hmm....</span><br />
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For today's projects, I've pulled out things that I take around to craft shows, but have not put online yet. The latest treasure I've found are my beaded lanyards. I don't mind making lanyards, although those seed beads can be tricky to get threaded on the string. I like the bright colors, the fun shapes of hte beads, and jewelry-like final product. I wear beaded lanyards each day to school to hold my school ID badge. I'm not super-fashionable about it. I have several in the closet at school, but usually wear the current one with all outfits until I manage to catch it on something and break it. <br />
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<div class="listing-card show-inline-buttons" jquery1322348332021="70" sizcache="4" sizset="40" style="text-align: center;"><a class="listing-thumb" href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/87142748/16-yellow-brass-butterfly-beaded-id" title="16" Yellow & Brass Butterfly Beaded ID Lanyard - FREE SHIPPING"><img alt="16" Yellow & Brass Butterfly Beaded ID Lanyard - FREE SHIPPING" height="135" src="http://img3.etsystatic.com/il_170x135.290103959.jpg" width="170" /></a> <a class="listing-thumb" href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/87143375/17-purple-pink-flower-accent-beaded" title="17" Purple & Pink Flower Accent Beaded Lanyard - FREE SHIPPING"><img alt="17" Purple & Pink Flower Accent Beaded Lanyard - FREE SHIPPING" height="135" src="http://img0.etsystatic.com/il_170x135.290236924.jpg" width="170" /> </a> <a class="listing-thumb" href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/87143880/16-green-beaded-id-lanyard-free-shipping" title="16" Green Beaded ID Lanyard - FREE SHIPPING"><img alt="16" Green Beaded ID Lanyard - FREE SHIPPING" height="135" src="http://img1.etsystatic.com/il_170x135.290110857.jpg" width="170" /> </a> <a class="listing-thumb" href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/87144534/20-multicolored-heart-accent-beaded-id" title="20" Multicolored Heart Accent Beaded ID Lanyard - FREE SHIPPING"><img alt="20" Multicolored Heart Accent Beaded ID Lanyard - FREE SHIPPING" height="135" src="http://img0.etsystatic.com/il_170x135.290241252.jpg" width="170" /> </a> <a class="listing-thumb" href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/87146920/19-red-white-and-blue-patriotic-beaded" title="19" Red, White, and Blue Patriotic Beaded ID Badge Lanyard - FREE SHIPPING"><img alt="19" Red, White, and Blue Patriotic Beaded ID Badge Lanyard - FREE SHIPPING" height="135" src="http://img1.etsystatic.com/il_170x135.290120157.jpg" width="170" /></a> <a class="listing-thumb" href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/87147617/18-red-white-and-black-dice-beaded" title="18" Red, White, and Black Dice Beaded Lanyard - FREE SHIPPING"><img alt="18" Red, White, and Black Dice Beaded Lanyard - FREE SHIPPING" height="135" src="http://img1.etsystatic.com/il_170x135.290123069.jpg" width="170" /> </a></div><div class="listing-card show-inline-buttons" jquery1322348332021="70" sizcache="4" sizset="40"><br />
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</div><div class="listing-card show-inline-buttons" jquery1322348332021="70" sizcache="4" sizset="40">And just for fun, I found in the tub a Monkey Bow that I've made. Usually I make bows to go on the little girls knit hats I make, but this one I just turned into a bow on a spring locked clip.</div><div class="listing-card show-inline-buttons" jquery1322348332021="70" sizcache="4" sizset="40"><br />
</div><div class="listing-card show-inline-buttons" jquery1322348332021="70" sizcache="4" sizset="40" style="text-align: center;"><a class="listing-thumb" href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/87146086/green-brown-polka-dots-monkey-hair-bow" title="Green & Brown Polka Dots Monkey Hair Bow"><img alt="Green & Brown Polka Dots Monkey Hair Bow" height="135" src="http://img0.etsystatic.com/il_170x135.290245820.jpg" width="170" /></a></div><div class="listing-card show-inline-buttons" jquery1322348332021="70" sizcache="4" sizset="40" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="listing-card show-inline-buttons" jquery1322348332021="70" sizcache="4" sizset="40" style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="listing-card show-inline-buttons" jquery1322348332021="70" sizcache="4" sizset="40" style="text-align: left;">Now, back to the grindstone. I've got pictures to take of products, Photoshop Editing to do, and then listings to create. My goals for this weekend - to get through the rest of the scarves and start the listings for the hand knit wash clothes and scrubbies. And maybe, just maybe, if I am super efficient and still game, I'll go on to all those baby hats.</div><div class="listing-card show-inline-buttons" jquery1322348332021="70" sizcache="4" sizset="40" style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="listing-card show-inline-buttons" jquery1322348332021="70" sizcache="4" sizset="40" style="text-align: left;">Happy Shopping to All. :)</div><div class="listing-card show-inline-buttons" jquery1322348332021="70" sizcache="4" sizset="40" style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="listing-detail " sizcache="4" sizset="29"></div><div class="listing-title" sizcache="4" sizset="29"><br />
</div>Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082627278513282401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867802871318920516.post-66875568152476883492011-11-23T12:12:00.001-06:002011-11-26T23:26:48.970-06:00Happy Thanksgiving!It's that time of year again. Time to bake, cook, and get together to visit with family and friends. I feel I'm doing my part today. Early this morning, I snuck back to the grocery store to get all our last minute items and to buy a few ingredients to make my special peanut butter cream pie (special request from Dad- his favorite). Since I've been home I've cleaned a little, made 2 pies, cooked brunch, and started laundry. Not too shabby for a day off. I'm looking forward to a nap later this afternoon - my reward for all my hard work.<br />
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My other goals for this afternoon include finishing cleaning house before my house guests get here and taking pictures to post some new items in my Etsy store. I hope to get several more items added quickly, so they will be available for this weekend's big shopping spree. At this point, I've done what I could to take advantage of our almost instinctual-urge to go shopping the weekend after Thanksgiving. I have set up a special weekend sale code (<a data-code="SMALLBUSINSAT112611" data-discount="25" data-id="415502" data-seller_active="false" href="https://www.etsy.com/your/shops/MirandaGabrielle/coupons#SMALLBUSINSAT112611" rel="#coupon-overlay">SMALLBUSINSAT112611</a>) that will allow customers to save 25% on their purchase. I've also registered with American Express for Small Business Saturday - so that my customers who use their American Express cards on orders of at least $25 will get a $25 credit on their next statement. (Very cool). I've got a few more things to tweak before this weekend, but overall I feel that the store is set up well and looks ready for our big sale.<br />
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Also this weekend, I look forward to a lot of time visiting with family members, which means time to knit. This afternoon I need to go back into my stash and pick out which projects/yarns I will be carrying with me as I go from house to house to visit. I've got a few projects started, but they are at the point where you need to think as you knit, so I may need to get some new yarn out and start something that involves a lot of basic knitting or stockinette stitches (I've found that the more involved I am in the discussion, the more likely I am to miscount or lose my pattern....which unfortunately I don't often realize until several rows later). I've had a few requests for some items, so perhaps I can start of those. Popular requests so far: special winter hats and fingerless gloves. This brisk fall weather is starting some of us thinking about bundling up for winter. :)<br />
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Happy Thanksgiving. During this time, I stop and think about all the things I'm thankful for in my life - my family and friends especially. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082627278513282401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8867802871318920516.post-8717174833649256242011-10-21T08:58:00.001-05:002011-11-26T23:27:42.824-06:00Small Business Saturday 11/26/11Hi. I haven't posted in awhile. Busy enjoying the rest of my summer vacation and then moving into my new classroom in our super cool new building. :) But, fall is here, and this week we are getting our first chilly days. Inspiration to start knitting once more! I've actually been doing some other craft projects, which I'll post once I get together with my camera and get organized again. But, in the meantime, since summer, I've made 3 scarves and 1 set of fingerless gloves. Not too bad for only knitting a couple of times a week.<br />
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News for the Day: I've just partnered up with American Express to support Small Business Saturday on 11/26/11. Lots of good deals going down over here. In the Etsy store customers will save a whopping 25% all purchases. Also, if you have registered your American Express card, you can earn a $25 credit on your next statement if you spend at least $25 at my qualifying store. Win/Win. I hope to see you there! :)Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14082627278513282401noreply@blogger.com0