Give Me Free with Love 2 Upcycle blog & W.O.M.B. Lifestyle!

Upcyclers Team from Etsy have a great Blog had a contest for a designer and lifestyle website. You can view the winner blog post here:

Love 2 Upcycle: Thank You~ W.O.M.B. Lifestyle!: We are very excited to announce the winners of our latest Giveaway from W.O.M.B. Lifestyle~ two of their most popular t-shirt designs, Human Race.

I was the first picked Winner and picked up this great Tshirt!

When it arrives, I will let you know more. In the meantime, visit

WOMB Lifestyle and read about there mission. 

When I first signed up for the give-a-way, I had a great conversation about how many forms I have to fill out for my children's schools to ensure them that English is their first language despite their ethnic background. We are all human, and we all deserve a fair and just world.

My Other Mother: Halloween Newsletter Arrived!

Martha Stewart has sent out another Halloween Subscription email.

How cute are these pumpkins?!  

Pumpkin Carving 101

Check it out at http://shar.es/b7mJy

Subscriptions through Martha's companies: http://bit.ly/oJDH7l

My mother has dropped off a WHOLE slew of mini pumpkins and gourds. I'll show some in a post later.

On a related note, I just added this item to the shop:

www.artCain.Etsy.com

Air Plant Pumpkin wine cork desk garden 

soil less culture

Brown glazed pottery pumpkin is recycled from a baking ramekin to grow a living Tillandsia fuchsii anywhere! Decoration for Halloween, Samhain, Thanksgiving, or a gift for the Fall nature lover in your life!

Air Plants do not need soil to grow. They have a single long stem flowers of purple. Roots may be trimmed.


Find this item here.

Give Me Free: Hitomi's Life (Blog)- My First Giveaway!!

A very affordable jewelry designer has opened an International Give-a-way! She gives you 4 entries to win based on simple promotions via Etsy and Facebook.

I choose these pearl and goldtone earrings. 

Two of my favourite elements together in my preferred style of BIG!!

Follow along and sign up for the Free jewelry until OCTOBER 31st! 

Hitomi Jewelry: Hitomi's Life: My First Giveaway!!:

" I'm so happy that I now have 50 followers!! I'd never imagined that I could have that many people interested in me."

Etsy Experience: You have Convo! from both homes

Maybe You've got Mail dates me...

 I'm okay with that. 

Last month, my nephew Zandon turned 1 year old and we'd decided building blocks would be great for a little one learning to move around more expertly. My William has a lot of fun with Legos, but his first building toys were a wooden set I found with wooden Thomas the Tank Engine trains and matching rails. I spent a small fortune at craft fairs and a train dealer shops for the wooden pieces. (I don't think they make Thomas and Friends in wood at all anymore.)

So I found myself  on Etsy searching away for a good deal, a good owner, and a good product. I sent out four convos to four artists and, even to this day, I only received 1 reply- one. Coincidentally, he was the only shop who had a very complete profile of information about himself and his products. I think we had a wonderful little chit-chat and I enjoyed getting my very simple answers. I felt good about our transaction and I hope he felt good about my excitement.

It was very interesting as I look back on it. I'm sure those three other artists have had sales since I asked my questions. I just don't understand, then, where I went wrong.

Mini Glass Pot gardens of Semi-precious Stones

Two of my recent customers started out as purely conversations in my message inbox. I guess it was just fate that both buyers come from places I consider close to me- Chicago and Connecticut. A part of me already wanted to connect with these people and I hope my work continues with them.

Each had their own reasons for wanting to step into the shoes of aquatic gardener. One managed to hold her husband back from deleting her Etsy account, pleading her sanity was intact. Both worried about finding so many international options, wondering about customs, shipping costs, and damage to the plants. They are living colonies of algae, after all. I enjoyed hearing their enthusiasm about options I could offer and budget tailoring. My tanks are lined with these amazingly plush families of "sea weed." I never knew so many also share my fascination for them as well.

0.5" babies, 1" Sisters,
& 2" Big Ole Brother

Truly, I couldn't have asked for better opening sales to my newest product "line." Shipping has gone very well and I feel more confident about introducing more and producing more of my Marimo Moss balls. My luck with these has been great over the years of apartment living. I've enjoyed growing them, and they greatly out number my fish friends.

If you'd like to know more about my Marimo Moss ball garden or work on a custom order within a budget: Click Here!

If you would like to chat about farming, growing, Etsy, or fair value supplies- Contact me on Etsy or  via Email


I think my theme for this Holiday season will be  Marimo Green and Maroon. 

Inspiration: Discarded Asphalt Art

I find myself pondering about the most discarded objects in life. Perhaps it is my way.

As a Rat of the Chinese Zodiac, I admit I have many of the tendencies. Although I am not a hoarder, I really do find myself pining to figure out every other way to use an object before I throw it away. Is it wrong? I surely hope not.

My son and I used to walk to the grocery store at our last apartment nearly every day. Not really as an exercise plan, but a way to wear him down physically to make him more acute mentally. My children, like many or most, are prone to be categorized as having ADD. These same children can sit for hours doing puzzle based video games and Sudoku.

Anyhow, William and I decided to go out together alone today. The local grocery here is called Marsh. They are also kind enough to offer 5 cents for every reusable bag you bring into the store. We are only two blocks away from a very busy intersection with lots of useful shops including a small Jo-Ann fabric. Along the way back home, I noticed him kicking a small piece of asphalt. I noticed there were a lot of pieces near the edge of the street where they haven't yet finished the side walks.

Being a Science Olympiad Mineral and Rock event person many moons ago, I was intrigued. I saw a piece that wasn't completely rough. The sparkle of pale gypsum pieces in the paving concrete made me pick it up to inspect. Like all good strays, it came home.

Soon, my husband stared at me awkwardly, as I steam sterilized it and sat looking for a good use for it. There was a small niche in the side where I instantly thought about one of my air plants. It took a couple of my plants to find one that fit naturally into the space.

But I feel pleased. If it doesn't sell on etsy, I welcome my air plant friend to continue holding the stack of bills, coupon pages to cut, and school newsletters at bay.

♥

Life Lessons: Betta Fish

I write to you this morning with a lot on my mind. Our family is one step closer to moving back to New York as my mother prepares to put her home in Chicago for sale. I have many projects to finish and many more conversations to reply to. However, I find myself wondering what to do with my Marimo Moss Garden.

Before I opened my Etsy store officially on Sept 1st of this year, I began farming succulents and Tillandsia air plants. The air plants and succulents admittedly take time to grow and propagate naturally into clumps with babies. I've had to buy some plants to keep my garden and my creativity going. My gardens are thriving and I hope to begin selling plants which are only grown and cared for by myself.

For many years, I've had Marimo Moss Balls in my fish tanks. I didn't realize they were so popular on Etsy and have been hesitant to sell from my own tanks. I don't want other artists thinking I'm pushing into their market. Honestly, there aren't that many various way to display the little moss balls which have to be surrounded by water.

This morning, I'm reconsidering. A couple months ago, my son returned to our home with an unannounced friend- a female Betta fish. It was very wounded from being in his cousin's tank with other Bettas. (Can you hear my head slamming my desk at

this point in our introduction to this fine fishy friend?)

So I poured a lot time, care, and money into establishing a wonderful tank all her own. I don't have a picture of her with new red and black fins, which saddens me now. She loved her aquatic Wisteria plants and the little Marimo balls from the community tank that she pushed around to play.

I came back from shopping to notice the tank's lid ajar, and my little baby gone. Perhaps, my son accidentally moved the lid and didn't notice to fix it. Perhaps, I should have made sure her the tank was fine in his room before I left. Maybe I should have made sure the cats weren't in his room. The community tank's lid is clamped on, but I hadn't done it yet to hers. Either way, William likely doesn't feel the same vested interest I did in this little life. He has a preference of fluffy and tangible over neat to look at. Now I have a great tank full of baby and adult sized Marimo moss balls without any fish to lovingly push them around the floor bed.

/le sigh.

Anyone interested in little moss balls in water that bring good luck (if you're not a betta fish)??

Books: Backyard Homestead & Seed Sewing and Saving

A very, lovely lady found me on Etsy, and passed along a couple books she thought I'd like to read. As if I could not ask for more, she also gave me some advice about the topics covered and unanswered in each.

Recommended Books:

Backyard Homestead by Carleen Madigan

Seed Sewing and Saving by Carole B. Turner

I will be adding these to my Amazon Wish List to buy next!

Anyone have any other recommendations on books, websites, and organizations about Farming, Gardening, and Homestead Living, PLEASE let me know!

Please browse and support other Back to Basics families on One Income including:

Threadhead58's Etsy provides vintage, affordable jewelry, upcycled accessories and more.