Saturday, November 21, 2009

More reasons why about yesterday's post

Yesterday I made a strong case against "Black Friday."  Today, I offer these links, the first one is within Etsy.com's "Storque" blog..and yes, you can read it without having an account...I signed myself out to check... and the second is a link to the page explaining the entire project.

This is about shopping locally, at small independent stores, instead of at big-box chains, which, in spite of people's arguments about "how many jobs they provide," actually do more harm than good to our economy.  This is about bringing production of goods back onto our own shores, and thereby saving and making thousands more jobs than would be lost by loosing the 'big box' stores. 

Read on:

http://www.etsy.com/storque/craftivism/new-rules-support-your-local-economy-6092/

http://www.newrules.org/

Cheers!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Black Friday--Please Boycott!!

Today's post is simply intended to plead with all holiday shoppers to not patronize brick-and-mortar stores on so-called 'Black Friday.'

It is an unfortunate tradition that is very disruptive to families' holiday celebrations.  If really feel you must shop that day, please shop online only!

I was just going to post a link to my Face Book page, so everyone could read what I wrote in detail, but I then realized that not everyone who may read this blog is a Face Book friend, and so would be unable to read it.  Thus, I've just copied/pasted that text here:

****************

Ok, people. Here it is: it's far past time to kill he over-hyped, over-priced, obsessive consumer shopping monster that has this country in its grip!


Here are TWO websites to help in this endeavor:

http://www.adbusters.org. and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buy_Nothing_Day


I have been annoyed in the extreme with corporate 'rushing of the season' for many, many years. This year, however, came the straw that broke the camel's back--and I'm GOING TO NAME (corporate) NAMES!!


KOHL'S is REQUIRING ALL of its employees to work on so-called "Black" Friday. That's bad enough, that they (and all other brick-and-mortar retailers) are SO greedy that they cannot even allow thier employees to have the entire Thanksgiving weekend holiday in peace and quiet with THEIR families.

 No, they have to take it a step further, and open the freaking store at FOUR A.M.!! I'm sorry, but NO ONE needs to be shopping already at THAT hour! It's the middle of the danged night for pete sakes!! If anyone seriously has to shop (doubtful) on THAT day... they can surely do it just as well during the store's normal operating hours!

 
This means that every single person who insists on going shopping that day is RUINING SOMEONE ELSE'S HOLIDAY!! There is no more plain and simple way to put it than that.

FURTHERMORE--there is a ripple effect...for many families, this means curtailing or cutting short their own holiday plans to accomodate the outrageous, obscene work schedule of the retail employee in the family. My own plans have been affected, even though my kids are adults with their own families. However, my husband and I are spending the holiday with HIS mother this year--3.5 hours from home. We won't be home till Sunday. Ergo, I need someone to care for my pets, and administer meds ON SCHEDULE to one of them.



Thanks to KOHL's extreme family UN-friendly policies, my daughter will now NOT be available at the appropriate times to do this....forcing us to seriously impinge on and alter our own plans. She is the best (and really only) option for this; she lives near, our animals know her, and she knows their routine. (And no, I cannot afford to have them boarded, so don't even go there! )
You'd better believe I just sent a scathing e-mail letter off to KOHL's corporate! I even told them that I was struggling to maintain civility as in truth, I had NOTHING ladylike to say about the matter.



WHY NOT just start the shopping season on Monday? Let FAMILIES have thier 4-day Thanksgiving weekend. In my opinion, anyone who thinks it is that necessary to go shopping that early should be taken out to a field and horse-whipped! That is unbridled consumerism at its very worst, and about as necessary as watering the lawn in a rainstorm!


GET A GRIP, people! STAY HOME!! BOYCOTT BLACK FRIDAY!! HAVE SOME RESPECT FOR THE STORE'S EMPLOYEES! LET'S KILL THIS MONSTROUS TRADITION THIS YEAR!

PLEASE RE-POST THIS ANYWHERE AND EVERYWEHRE YOU CAN--BLOGS, YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE, TWITTER, CHAT ROOMS YOU ATTEND...WHERE EVER! LET'S PUT A STOP TO THIS CRAZY NONSENSE FOR ONCE AND FOR ALL!!
 
Thank you!!

Monday, November 16, 2009

A Not Altogether Wasted Monday...

I finally finished my kitty cat coasters, and by the skin of my teeth, at that.  I ran out of sealer spray just as I finished the backside of the last one!  WHEW!

Here's how they came out: 





     As you can see, I went ahead and did mixed sets.  Even though my poll is not expired, it was running 50-50 between all one color and mixed sets.  I am on the hunt for more of this thin pine, and when I find some, I'll add some single-color sets to the offerings.

    If anyone of my readers KNOWS of a source for this very thin knotty pine (originally used as packing material), within a20-mile radius of my location in the far eastern side of Contra Costa County, California, please let me know!

    I'm fairly pleased, but there were a few minor issues with the paint and the wood grain.  It happens.  Not a lot can be done about it, but, after all...minor imperfections are all part of  100% hand-made items.  It proves no robots or other fancy machinery went into the manufacture!

    Next, I have to spray the new mousie ornaments I've finished...but that will involve going and buying more sealer first.  Ahh... interruptions..gotta love 'em! Good excuse to stop by Peet's for a mocha???  (hee hee hee.)  Actually, had to go out anyway--stop by P.O. and ship out an order; go to bank; might as well pick up the spray while I'm out and about.  And in reality, I guess I don't really get to go to Peet's, as it's 3 miles in the opposite direction from my main errands.  Oh, well, was fun thinking about it.  LOL

    That's that for today.  Back to work and off to errands!

Cheers!

  


Sunday, November 15, 2009

Finishing up

Good Morning. 


   At least I think it still qualifies as morning...that's an unusual phrase for me to use.  LOL  Actually, it is 10:30, I just got up about 45 minutes ago from a delightful Sunday sleep-in, and I'm still in 'waking up and becoming functional' mode. 


   I worked out in the studio until after 10 last night, finishing up several of my mouse ornaments.  They will be ready for their photographs today.  I also finished 3 sets of the kitty-cat coasters, and they will receive their sealer coats today, then be photographed.


    As of this moment, I have made 3 sets of 4 in assorted kitty colors...and am now all out of the recycled wood I was using.  So far, I have had no luck in tracking down a new source of this same kind of wood.  It seems that things are now packed exclusively in cardboard or wrapped in paper, and not protected by thin wood.  The hunt goes on.

***************************

  Okay--started post this a.m., put it on hold ... it is now 3:30 p.m., and I've finally finished all I can do for today out in the studio.  The mice are finished...got the antiquing done.. now they must dry 24 hrs. before I can spray the sealer, and THEN, several hours later, they will finally be ready for photos...so, I was considerably ahead of myself this morning.  (Overeager to be done?)  See?  Told you I'm not a morning person.  Brain does not work well before noon.  LOL

   While there is much more that I could be working on out there, I've had to quit for the day, as the antiquing process involves some pretty heavy fumes, (from the solvent used to wipe back the antiquing...sort of like a paint thinner kind of smell), and I was getting a headache.  So I picked up all my paints, to get ready for tomorrow, when our 'regular' business partners will be here to work, and I can't have my painting stuff in the way.

   In fact, I still smell it, so some must have gotten onto my sweatshirt...I must conclude this blog and go put the shirt outside to air out! 

   However, my new mice and coasters should be up sometime this week, so keep watching!

Cheers!
 

My Friend, Christine B.

You can Follow in this way, too!