JUNE 5th, 2008

I am happily making my craft items again!!!

And the next most important thing for me is to be online with my Etsy Friends!

www.etsy.com

I quite enjoy chatting occassionally with my Etsy friends. Okay, probably occassionaly isn't the best word to use when I am online as often as I can be, which isn't as often as I'd like to be, catching up with everyone who enjoys crafting as much as I do.

Yes, they are cyber friends. Some I haven't met yet, but some I have ventured out to meet and of course they are lovely people! I always say, "If anyone loves animals or crafting, they are okay people with me". I just figure if people are kind to animals, they must have patience and understanding and those are great characteristics to have. And to be creative is a truly thoughtful process and that is also a wonder characteristic to have. Being thoughtful is a good characteristic to have in a friend, whether cyber or up-close and in person.

I have to admit that now in my life, I tend to feel "empty nest syndrome" a lot as my two teenagers have grown up into fine young ladies and gentlemen and for the most part have very busy lives of their own. With this being said, I know that I must stay busy myself, or I'll sit and dwell on the fact that my babies don't require mom's attention like they once did.

So, I find myself reaching out to others who share in similar interests as I do. Hopefully I can bide my extra time enjoying the company of similar minded individuals and perhaps strike up a few new friendships and aquaintences to help fill the void of the lack of kids needing me, and give me some interesting moments to my days.

If you too find that crafting is your pleasure, you really must check out the website www.etsy.com and get involved in a wonderful world of handmade goods and the super people who create them.

There are forums to discuss the latest of everything happening in the handmade realm.

http://www.etsy.com/forums_main.php

There are lots of people who have exciting shops with everything from literally soup to nuts and maybe even a kitchen sink or two, though I haven't searched for that on etsy yet. You may indeed find a picture of a kitchen sink! It seems that just about everything you can image, you can find on Etsy. It is a website with definite finesse, and prides itself as a classy marketplace, with a well-rounded selection of offerings on a world-wide basis.

And now that I have started crafting again, you can check out my shop on Etsy as a "happening" shop. I hope to add to it everyday if I am able to create something new to list there. I have discovered a love of knitting and crocheting and at the moment I am working on making slippers. I listed a pair yesterday and I have a new one started today.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12308354

Enjoy!

~ Paula

JUNE 4th, 2008

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Recover

I feel a strong need to talk about ONE of the 4 R's today.

RECYCLING

Here at home in our part of Ontario Canada, our recycling program is going gangbusters as far as I am concerned. I recycle just about everything that comes through our door and when garbage day comes, there are times I don't have anything at all to put out at the curb. When I do, it is a very small bag. I am pleased to say.

I love my planet and though I don't understand all that is needed to keep it green and healthy, I am learning, and I do try, with a concentious effort to do my part to help.

WHILE ON VACATION
I noticed with great distress that our first lengthy stop in Tampa Florida showed me a side of our world I didn't realize existed. A thriving metropolis with a thriving consumer population and basically NO RECYCLING program in place whatsoever! It appalled me to realize this. How behind the times globally can this one state in the U.S.A. be???

NO BOTTLE RETURN PROGRAM
Not even bottle returns at their beer stores, as we have in Canada. So all the beer bottles and liquor bottles are going straight to the landfill sites. Not to mention the pop bottles, and pop cans, and every other comodity bought in glass, and plastic bottles. It's just mind boggling to think of all the people in Florida state and how many non-recycled bottles are going into the landfill sites.

We are very lucky that in the program in our area, we can recycle just about 80% or more of what we purchase in containers. Glass, cans, boxboard, styrofoam, bags, cloth, and for what the truck doesn't pick up at the curb, the landfill sites have organized individual containers for wood, batteries, propane cyclinders, paints, aerosol cans, and several other designated sections to deal appropriately with our end waste.

FURTHER ALONG ON OUR TRAVELS
I did however begin to see recycling practices being implemented in a few of the states along the way as we travelled. Some even had roadside signs to let everyone know of the recycling practices.

We stopped at one rest stop and it was entirely set up with all it's recycling information in the form of a museum that we could walk through. I am almost certain I took pictures of the posters that were depicting the recycling that had been done that literally created the rest area features. I was so disheartened since Florida, that I didn't get as excited as I should have when I found out other states were at least trying to be environmentally focused.

If I have pictures of the rest area information it will be on my laptop that I used on the trip. I will see if I can access them over to display on my blog.

I am very happy to see that some states are taking steps in the right direction of environmental solutions.

Even in California, Arnie was saying that he realizes that CA is one of the worst contributors to the environmental pollution and that he is aware of it and he is working towards changing this situtation immediately. I saw him on t.v. while I was in California and I was quite impressed with his talk he gave about his environmental concerns.

This trip was a real eye-opener for me regarding this issue of recycling vrs tossing out as garbage.

I just felt I had to write about it at some point in my blog. It has been sitting uneasily with me since I learned of the situation starting in Florida way back in March of this year when I started my RV trip.

NOW ON A POSITIVE NOTE!

Visit http://www.etsy.com/ for many exciting handmade, home crafted, even RECYCLED, REUSED, and RECOVERED articles, that are much more impressive to purchase, than anything manufactured from any brick and mortar stores, by far!

Check it out!
~ Paula

JUNE 2nd, 2008

HOME IN ONTARIO CANADA!

Oh Canada!

A great place to be when it isn't snowing! lol

We returned home to wonderfully warm weather. Today it was sunny all day! It was awesome. I got a lot accomplished which always feels so good.

But then as I look around and see all that is to be done..... it is a little scarey and I think I may need another vacation really soon! With this amazing warm weather comes all the many many things that need doing. Not only outside, as in the gardening, weeding, lawn maintenance, watering, fertilizing, pruning, etc, etc, but also all the inside chores that need attending to since we've been away for so long. Lots to do. Ah, but it will keep me outta trouble! heh.

Back to routine. There is a lot to be said for routine. We all require it I believe. I know that I function better with a routine. Something definite to look forward to each day.

I'm back on the exercise and vitamin kick now that I am home and it feels so good to get that 30 minute work out established again, for which of course energy begets more energy.

Now to drop those extra 'vacation pounds' from eating so well along the RV trail. Especially those wonderful all you can eat buffets! Delightful, but they can pack on the pounds rather quickly.

Also I find that I am wanting to do more of my crafting now that I am home, which is super! I was so busy with RVing and seeing the country that I didn't really miss my crafting. Now that I am home I am very interested in creating things once again.

Please be sure to check out my Etsy page and all of Etsy in general as a wonderful handmade creative website full of great homemade items. There is something for everyone at Etsy.

www.etsy.com
www.uxcritter.etsy.com

Thanks!
~ Paula a.k.a. "uxcritter"

I'd rather be beading!