Weekly Zazzle: Blue Heart Postage and More!

It's been a busy week, dear readers, so I didn't do as much Zazzling as usual. But I did take an afternoon to work with my Blue Heart design. Here's a sample ~

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Yes ~ you can get U.S. postage stamps with gorgeous Zazzle designs on them! I think a big bright heart would really make your snail-mail stand out, don't you? You can start with my design and then personalize it - for example, you could place your initials or monogram over the heart for stamps that are uniquely yours! It's not difficult when you use the Zazzle customize feature.

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I've placed this heart design on cards, T-Shirts, mugs, mousepads, bags, magnets, and even a necktie for you and a shirt for your best friend (assuming your best friend is of the canine variety :) It's worth a visit to my Blue Hearts page just to see all those blue hearts lined up on different products - quite a sight, if I do say so myself! Why don't you click the link now and check it out - and then let me know what you think, k?

Friday Fun with Fabric & Paper! New Notebook Product Line

I've long had a thing for fabric and paper, dear readers ~ handling, viewing, arranging, manipulating, and creating with fabric and papers are a big deal to me! (If you have such a thing yourself, you know what I'm talking about :) So I'm happy to announce that I've found a way to combine both of these loves into one cool, new product line ~

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Yes - I'm making notebooks! Well, these are purchased notebooks - thank heavens for all those back-to-school sales at the discount stores - which I have embellished with fabric, paper (some of my own design!), stickers, ribbon, and whatnot to make these beautiful, functional delights for - anyone who needs a notebook. Right now they come in two sizes: the map-lined travel journals are 5 x 7 inches; the larger composition books are just like the ones we used in school - all dolled up for grownups!

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Please take a look at my journals and other Gifts for Book Lovers at my Etsy shop ~ I'll be listing more in the days and weeks to come - along with crochets and cards to get us ready for fall! I've even gotten an inquiry about making a custom journal - who knows, I might become a bookmaker yet :)

A Truly Wordless Wednesday

. I'm not usually at a loss for words, but when I learned of the passing of Senator Edward Kennedy late last night (Tuesday, August 25, 2009), I was left speechless. R.I.P., Senator Kennedy. And I hope our nation will finally adopt a program of universal health care that is worthy of your memory.

One Great Organizing Tip for Yarn and Ribbons

Sometime ago around the beginning of spring, I took a long afternoon and spread all of my considerable yarn stash out on the floor and proceeded to organize it. Yes, dear readers, when it's about making up new projects, I can get things in order - paying bills and doing taxes, though, is a different matter, ha ha.
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At that time, I bagged my various skeins of yarn together in what looked like suitable groupings for projects - baby blankets, afghans, flower scarves, washcloths, etc. And now, six months later, I've nearly completed all of those things! Which means I need more projects - so a few days ago I did another big yarn sort.
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The previous sort worked well for me, except for one thing: the loose ends of yarn got horribly tangled, and in some cases I even had to cut out the snarls and throw them away. Horrors - no dedicated crocheter/crafter ever throws anything away! So, this time I went one step better: I picked up a package of colorful ponytail holders for cheap (150 holders for $2!) at a discount store, and used them to secure the ends of the yarn balls:
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Voila - No more tangles! I like the ponytail holders for this purpose better than rubber bands, because the pony-holders came in several sizes, are softer and stretchier, and the bright colors are just more fun. They also work great for ribbon spools, as you can see in the picture, and they'll even secure loose ends on rolls of wrapping paper!
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There's just one problem: I keep thinking of more uses for these handy items, and I need more! A finite number is not endless, so it's off to the store for another sack of goodies :)

Weekly Zazzle: One Sunset, Two Hearts, and a T-shirt sale!

I wrote a while back about some new work at my Zazzle store, and now I've decided to make it a weekly feature! Because an indie-artisan always needs to promote, right? (I still haven't got this shameless-self-promotion thing down :) So without further ado, here are some highlights of my Zazzlin' activities for the past week:
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I've redecorated my home page with the warm colors of an autumn sunset, and featured the products I've made using my fabulous Splendor photograph. Above you'll see the mousepad that I created from this design. Won't that warm up the spot on your desk next to the computer? This design is available in cards, poster, magnets, mugs, bags, and more - even as a necktie!
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Next, I took the cover design from my 2010 Love of Hearts Calendar, and made it into a series of cool designs, shown here:
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As always, my designs appear on a range of products - for example, a bag, magnet, T-shirt, mug, tie (my coolest yet!) and mousepad. You can click the following link and see the full range of my Two Hearts Together design. Once I've created the original, which by the way is still available for purchase at my Etsy shop, I can apply it to many designs - it's all done on computer. I just love seeing how these designs light up the different products! And the fact that I can do this work in my pajamas is a definite plus :)
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Last but not least, I'd be remiss if I didn't tell you that Zazzle is having a sale on T-shirts, $3 off through tomorrow! I don't have a lot of T-shirt designs in my store - yet - but I do have this beautiful Zen Blossoms shirt ~
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You can go this link to see all my T-shirts. Most of them are available in a full range of sizes and colors - men's, women's and kids'. Zazzle allows you to use their easy, interactive system to preview your selections before you order them, so you can have great fun choosing the perfect T-shirt!
. That's all for now. What colors and designs will I be working with this coming week??? Hmmm, let me ponder that for now - but please come back find out at my next Weekly Zazzle!

Notable Quote: more sayings from the Ramen King

Inside every human being there are two minds. One wants to do good things. The other wants to do what it wants to do.

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Flavors taste best to those who appreciate them.

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Viewed from outer space, the Earth is nothing more than a limited, tiny sphere. Unlimited desires in a limited world give rise to all sorts of contradictions.

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~ Momfuku Ando, the inventor of instant ramen, as quoted in The Ramen King and I, by Andy Raskin.

For Love of Hearts: My New 2010 Zazzle Calendar

I got busy on Zazzle.com this weekend, dear readers, and created my first calendar for 2010! Yes, it's time to start thinking about the coming year, especially if you're making calendars :) I decided to use my heart-shape collages as a theme, because - guess what - I already had enough in my digital files to fill all twelve months! I called it For Love of Hearts and I think it beautifully expresses themes of love and heart energy at all levels. Here's a sample of the pages that await you:

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The Cover ~

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March ~

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June ~

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October ~

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You'll notice that I provided large-numbered calendar pages - that's because I personally like to see the dates from across the room, and my baby-boomer eyesight can't handle the little-bitty ones anymore :) I hope you'll appreciate this easy-to-read feature, too.

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It took a long day on the couch with my computer to put this calendar together, but I'm really pleased with the results. I hope to have one or two more before the year's end, but I'll need to create some more collages to reach that goal - fortunately, it's something I love to do! This calendar comes in three sizes and two styles, with prices starting at $17.95. You can view and order it here. And while you're there, please take a look at the range of products in my Zazzle store - I have some sunny new images at the top, that I think you'll enjoy!

OutTakes from my photo files

Dear readers, it's been a rather dull week in a rather dull phase of my life, and so my brain was rather dull last night when it was time for me to come up with another blog post. So I decided to go with the feeling of blahhhh that I've been slogging through, and show you some of the outtakes that have been lurking in the vast recesses of my photo files:

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We start with this FAILed attempt to show me in action, working with a client at a psychic fair ~

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It looks like the whole space-time continuum moved just as camera clicked, doesn't it? I guess I won't put this shot on my business card, lol. But if I have to come away with a FAILed shot, I'd rather have had a cute little squirrel jump into the frame!

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Next, we have a view of what is probably the ugliest piece of collage I've ever created ~

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This was one of a batch of heart-themed ACEOs I made for Valentine's Day. Most of them turned out beautifully (and are still available for purchase at my Etsy shop), but there's always a few ringers in every batch. The the elements of this card looked nice by themselves, but together the effect is phhhhbbbbbtttttt.

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Finally, we have an example of my FAIL last winter, when I was trying to capture the cozy image of my cat LuvLee warming herself by the fire (a rather reliable place to find LuvLee in the winter time) ~

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Turns out, I needed a flash to get the picture in the dim light - some focus and better framing would help, too - but the flash drowns out the glow of the fire, and besides my digital camera's flash hasn't worked since I dropped it two weeks after I bought it! Well, LuvLee doesn't care - and I'm sure she'll be back to enjoying the warm stove when winter comes around again!

Notable Quote: giving in to the regime

This habit of pretending to give in to the regime created a certain moral laxity, a spiritual laziness in us all. You could see it in our male acquaintances who would say with a mocking expression, "Why make such a fuss over a piece of cloth?" Not understanding that first of all the veil was not just a piece of cloth; it had been invested with spiritual significance for many men and women, and besides, this was not how I felt about the piece of cloth in question, although I should have been free to express my feelings. This was about the freedom of choice. No regime, no figure of authority, had the right to tell a woman how to relate or not relate to God.

~ Azar Nafisi, Things I've Been Silent About

Featured as an Organizing Wizard? Who, Me?

What gives - someone thinks I'm an organizing wizard? ROFL - although, if you look at my office on a good day, it's not so bad ~

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I was featured in a great blog about Etsy artisans' studios - we were asked to share some pictures of ourselves and our studios, plus some organizing tips. I described this bin system I put together for myself, and ya know, it's worked really well for me. Too bad the parts of my office you can't see don't look this neat! Hmm, may be I should build on my strengths. Why don't you use the link to go read my feature, and also take a look at the other fine shops featured in this blog. Thank you, Kerry!

It's World Cat Day!

Thanks to my habits of obsessively blog-surfing, I've just learned that today is World Cat Day! (No, I don't know who decides these things, but it obviously wasn't a dog, ha ha.) In celebration, I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite lolCats ~

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Those are all lols that I've made - and I'm glad that I have a chance today to post them, because it finally lets me justify the time I waste - er, spend - surfing the lolsites! If any of you are fellow cheezfriends, you can go to my profile and friend me - that would be great:)

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Last but not least, I can't sign off World Cat Day without a tribute to my own cat, LuvLee, who is especially honored right now - she's featured in an Etsy treasury! Now, that link will only last a day or two, so let me show you the LuvLee's Window notecard that is included - you can purchase it at special price; just click the link to get to my shop page ~

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That's all for now, folks! In a fitting conclusion to World Cat Day, I think I'm going to follow Miss LuvLee's example, and take a nap ;)

The Swan Sings: CycleCast to the Autumn Equinox, September 22, 2009

The trio of eclipses is past us, dear readers, and we're moving through the last weeks of summer into fall. This year's Autumn Equinox occurs on September 22 at 3:19 pm (Mountain Time). The CycleCast I've prepared shows that we've accomplished a lot of completion over the past few months, and right now we get float above it all like the graceful Swan. Let's see what the reading says:

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Good job, fellow-traveler, you've tied up those loose ends, and learned the lessons of the past: Austerity's clear sight and the Pearl's self-assuredness! What have you been Reaching for, traveler? This energy, channeled and focused, forms the springboard for the next segment of your journey.

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Ahead of you, traveler, your Looking-Glass mirrors the way to the Field of self-exploration and discovery. Wide vistas are yours; if you need a boundary, plant a row of Rose bushes. And love the thorns, for they remind you to back off and allow perfection to unfold of its own accord. If you need a direction to go in, just shoot the Arrow and follow it - Bowing, always, to the majesty and mystery that dwells in each of us.

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Where are you now, fellow-traveler? We see an elegant Swan gliding serenely over troubled waters. Could that be you, me, or we? If not the Swan in full feather, perhaps we'll find her Egg of potential to nurture and protect. Once again, the Arrow shows us the way - unless the Magician's glamour distracts us from our path. That won't happen if we keep our eyes, minds, and hearts open ~ the Vase in your parlor needs no flowers just yet, so be like the empty vessel that is firmly-bounded and ready to receive.

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The major theme of this Cycle involves dealing with the truth, confronting our limitations, and claiming our own authority. There is a down-to-earth, pragmatic quality to these energies - although challenges of perfectionism may appear. A strong manifesting energy is present, so be conscious of what you're asking for. At the highest levels of this Cycle, which should occur around August 24-25 and September 21-22, we will find ways to access light and love everywhere - even in the darkest of situations.

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Would you like to have a forecast of your personal energy cycles? My intuitive readings will help answer your questions and illuminate your path - and are now available by e-mail!. For information and to request a reading,click here, or send a message to burchjan@gmail.com.Visit my website www.GeoGlowConsulting.com for more information about my intuitive services.

Notable Quote: the fundamental misunderstanding of humanity

The Fundamental Misunderstanding of Humanity is "believing that we can achieve all of our desires, without limitations," according to Momofuku Ando, the inventor of instant ramen.

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Only when Ando accepted his failure - his limitations - did he become aware of another kind of desire, one rooted not in shame but, as he puts it, "the innate human urge to connect with the world." His wife's friends began asking about her husband's activities in the backyard [where he had set up a kitchen shack that he used for experiments to perfect his product], and when she told them, they said, "Oh," because they felt sorry for her that she was married to a man who had devoted his life to ramen, the lowest of all foods. Of course, once he committed to his one desire, the opinions of others no longer held sway over Ando. "I realized that all of my failures were like muscles and blood added to my bones," he writes. "I had choice but to keep on moving in the direction of the light ahead."

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~ Andy Raskin, The Ramen King and I

Energy of the Month: August 2009 Takes the Cake!

It's the first of August, dear readers, and my cards tell me we have a delicious month ahead of us! My energy-of-month reading indicates that August 2009 is going to take The Cake ~

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The Cake is another fulfillment energy - the third we've had in a row (July's Mountain and June's Pearl are the two others). Whether we know it or not, there's been a lot of movement towards completion going on this summer - I guess it hasn't been such a lazy, hazy time after all! The Cake represents material reward and physical satisfaction, so it's a good time to focus on making the simple pleasures into something meaningful for you. At its highest expression, The Cake asks us to choose conscious celebration: what events, goals, or milestones do you need to signify so you can really "get" their importance to your soul's evolution? And, like all of these energies, The Cake has a "down" side: overindulgence - possibly even addiction. As we celebrate our turning points and honor our resources and comforts, please be aware that they have a time and a place, just like everything else.

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The Cake's nearest neighbors on the Star+Gate pattern are:

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The Glove ~ an attitude of give and take; reaching out to accept assistance while making gestures that let the world know who you are.

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The Ice ~ mental clarity; the attitude of just-do-it without second-guessing oneself.

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The Rose ~ the challenge of how we realize perfection; the Rose asks us to let it unfold of its own accord.

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The Mountain ~ fulfillment through perseverance; keep putting one foot in front of the other!

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The Cross ~ fulfillment of spiritual awakening, leading to a new direction on one's path.

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As you can see, even the most mundane of energies - what could possibly be spiritual about eating cake? - gives us a wealth of spiritual grist to work with. While a major theme for this month will be resources at any level, we're also being given the opportunity to create substance and choose quality in life. Not a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination! And now, what will you choose to consciously celebrate?

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Looking ahead: We have one more eclipse go in this summer's triple-threat lineup of eclipses. It occurs at 6:55 pm on August 5 (Mountain Time) and concludes the CycleCast I prepared in early July. That means I'll be back soon with another CycleCast to take us up the next great quarter-day of the year, the Autumn Equinox. Yay! Fall happens to be my favorite season, and after the blistering heat of this long, hot summer, I'm ready for it!

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Would you like to have a forecast of your personal energy cycles? My intuitive readings will help answer your questions and illuminate your path - and are now available by e-mail!. For information and to request a reading,click here, or send a message to burchjan@gmail.com.Visit my websitewww.GeoGlowConsulting.com for more information about my intuitive services.