I have to stand up and be counted on this one! How true it is....
gypsycaster says:
Hiya! I'm doing shop maint. but my friend carrymeaway just sent me this and I HAD to share!!!
To all addicted fellow etsians:With the help of other members of our terribly sick etsian community, we have come up with 12 steps to recovery.
1.We Etsians admitted we were powerless over the Etsy addicion that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. We Etsians have come to believe that a power greater than us could restore our sanity (a new search system???). Admitted to ourselves and to another human being that we were spending much more time on the forums than was good for our sanity or our craft.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of our craft again as we understood it.
4. We as Etsy users/seller/buyers realize that etsy forums/chats do not take the place of a REAL social life....
5. Admitted to Etsy, to ourselves and to other Etsians the exact nature of Etsy's wrongs. IE: Bugs section of the Forums
6. We Etsians humbly asked our family and friends to remove our laptops and computers away from us and return us to our work table
7. We Etsians admit that meals, social events, and household chores should not be dependent entirely on the Treasury schedule.
8. Humbly asked Rob White to remove our unkind forum posts before any buyers could see it and put us on the do not buy from list.
9. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, all the meals we didn't make, all the phone calls we didn't take, all the cleaning we didn't do and became willing to make amends to them all.
10. Made a searching and fearless inventory of how much time we were spending on the forums vs. time spent on our craft.
11. Sought through our family and friends to improve our conscious contact with the outside and real world, as we understood it. Hoping that we have the power to stay away from the forums, chats, shops and treasury.
12. Having had a crafting awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other craft addicts, and to practice these crafty principles in all our affairs
Posted at 1:41 pm, September 23 2008 EST
Tuesday, September 23
Tuesday, August 5
Big Deal this 08-08-08
I love the excitement of these "once in a lifetime" things that happen, and the one coming up this Friday, is especially exciting. It's more than just the one time thing, there are special meanings for the number "8", and there are some extra "happenings" bringing the whole world together in Spirit too. The Olympic Games begin at 8:00 PM on 08-08-08, it was designed that way.
I went looking for some "meanings" about this upcoming event. Told a friend I needed to go see what the Chinese have to say about it, and found something with even more to it that the prophecy I expected to find here.
It's really long, but just grabbed me, right from the start. Here are some excerpts, see if it makes you want to read the whole thing too:
“08-08-08 is a magical moment when the entire world will come together in thought because of the opening of the Olympics. According to ancient tradition, the opening ceremony of the Olympics is a moment when war stops and athletes compete in an ethical manner. 08 08 08 is a moment when there will be a huge concentration of mass consciousness. Please energize this mass consciousness with peace.” - Barbara Wolf www.GlobalMeditations.com
"And there is a physical prosperity aspect to the 8-8-8 as well (see below for more on this). It just so happens that the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing begin at 8:00pm on 8-8-08. (P.S. the Chinese chose this date and time because in their culture, 8 is an exceedingly auspicious number. Think of the 8-sided Bagua used in Feng Shui)
Keep in mind that the August 1st Eclipse was seen in Totality, over the Great Wall of China and the Ancient Silk Route, a powerful symbol of abundance and world trade. Because 8 is the penultimate number of abundance and prosperity this has added significance. With the specific location of all our focus being on China (due to the Olympics) on 8-8-08 - right smack dab at the exact half-way point between two powerful eclipses of change - and with the eclipse shadow falling over the Ancient Silk Route - i.e. The Silk Road - a symbol of world trade and abundant economy - we have an opportunity to focus our intention for a smooth and safe transition to a new global economy. Without a crash and without cataclysm."
Pretty cool, huh? Then there's the astrology thing, which I'm always hyped up around my birthday anyway, and was already excited about having a "blue moon" this month.
The Astrology of the 8-8-8
The Budding Flower is Not yet Visible:
Take Action!
The 8-8-8 occurs on the day of the First Quarter Moon at 13 Scorpio. The exact First Quarter Moon is at 4:20pm EDT. The chart for that time contains a triangular configuration (known as a T-square) which takes the Leo and Aquarian energies described in my previous newsletter and shoots them into the First Quarter Moon in Scorpio. This means that the energy of the powerful Creative-Leo and Lightning-Bolt-Aquarius energies of the Total Solar Eclipse one week prior discharges into the Moon (in the sign of Scorpio) on 8-8-8, activating our emotional nature, our subconscious, our feminine and reflective nature, and the silvery light of deep introspection.
On this day, examine your feelings, reflect deeply and explore your shadow side or pain body. Repressed material may emerge. Process it by taking action which is what the First Quarter Moon asks of you (as described in the next paragraph).
At the First Quarter Moon - the half-way mark between the New and Full Moons - our manifestations breakthrough into first flower. According to Nick Anthony Fiorenza www.lunarplanner.com
So, on 8-8-8, take action toward your goals. When feelings come up, do something concrete - like talking to someone about your feelings and breakthroughs or writing them down, seeking counseling or sessions of meridian therapies such as EFT (for more information on EFT go to www.eft.com and www.emotionalfreedom.com NOTE: Peg Donahue at www.center4fengshui.com is a superb EFH practitioner. EFH shifts your energy very quickly and powerfully.
In addition, two fixed stars that we have worked with many times this year (especially Regulus!) are involved in the 8-8-8. On August 8th the Moon will stop by for a visit to Spica, the star in the hand of the Great Goddess, and the place where we manifest abundance (represented by a sheath of wheat) and illumination (sometimes represented by a lamp). This is the place we learn how to sow proper thoughts and emotions in order to reap positive outcomes and creative joy in our lives. And it’s a perfect accompaniment to the energy of the 8-8-8.
Then on August 10th, two days later, Mercury meets up Regulus while the Moon hangs out near Antares. Mercury has one last thing to say to Leader of Leaders (Regulus the Lion King and Simba the Feline Queen) concerning the Leadership Convention of July. And Moon touches the star Antares - the heart of the Scorpion - to reflect to us the continued need to excavate the Shadow side of our culture and learn to live from the heart - i.e. not solely from the mind (disconnected from earth and other human hearts) or solely from the physical (holding out-of-balance materialistic goals which manifest as greed and corruption). It’s time to tear down the old structures and raise up new leaders to run the new ones.
********
There's a LOT more to this article, and all of it was interesting. Has me thinking I want to do something special to mark the day. Today, I was thinking about making some kind of charm or something....jewelry pendant maybe, out of PMC, then actually do the firing "on" 08-08-08 too. I should see about making several of what ever I decide to do. They will be charged with major positive energy! Probably be the best firing I've had all summer up until now. :)
I went looking for some "meanings" about this upcoming event. Told a friend I needed to go see what the Chinese have to say about it, and found something with even more to it that the prophecy I expected to find here.
It's really long, but just grabbed me, right from the start. Here are some excerpts, see if it makes you want to read the whole thing too:
“08-08-08 is a magical moment when the entire world will come together in thought because of the opening of the Olympics. According to ancient tradition, the opening ceremony of the Olympics is a moment when war stops and athletes compete in an ethical manner. 08 08 08 is a moment when there will be a huge concentration of mass consciousness. Please energize this mass consciousness with peace.” - Barbara Wolf www.GlobalMeditations.com
"And there is a physical prosperity aspect to the 8-8-8 as well (see below for more on this). It just so happens that the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing begin at 8:00pm on 8-8-08. (P.S. the Chinese chose this date and time because in their culture, 8 is an exceedingly auspicious number. Think of the 8-sided Bagua used in Feng Shui)
Keep in mind that the August 1st Eclipse was seen in Totality, over the Great Wall of China and the Ancient Silk Route, a powerful symbol of abundance and world trade. Because 8 is the penultimate number of abundance and prosperity this has added significance. With the specific location of all our focus being on China (due to the Olympics) on 8-8-08 - right smack dab at the exact half-way point between two powerful eclipses of change - and with the eclipse shadow falling over the Ancient Silk Route - i.e. The Silk Road - a symbol of world trade and abundant economy - we have an opportunity to focus our intention for a smooth and safe transition to a new global economy. Without a crash and without cataclysm."
Pretty cool, huh? Then there's the astrology thing, which I'm always hyped up around my birthday anyway, and was already excited about having a "blue moon" this month.
The Astrology of the 8-8-8
The Budding Flower is Not yet Visible:
Take Action!
The 8-8-8 occurs on the day of the First Quarter Moon at 13 Scorpio. The exact First Quarter Moon is at 4:20pm EDT. The chart for that time contains a triangular configuration (known as a T-square) which takes the Leo and Aquarian energies described in my previous newsletter and shoots them into the First Quarter Moon in Scorpio. This means that the energy of the powerful Creative-Leo and Lightning-Bolt-Aquarius energies of the Total Solar Eclipse one week prior discharges into the Moon (in the sign of Scorpio) on 8-8-8, activating our emotional nature, our subconscious, our feminine and reflective nature, and the silvery light of deep introspection.
On this day, examine your feelings, reflect deeply and explore your shadow side or pain body. Repressed material may emerge. Process it by taking action which is what the First Quarter Moon asks of you (as described in the next paragraph).
At the First Quarter Moon - the half-way mark between the New and Full Moons - our manifestations breakthrough into first flower. According to Nick Anthony Fiorenza www.lunarplanner.com
So, on 8-8-8, take action toward your goals. When feelings come up, do something concrete - like talking to someone about your feelings and breakthroughs or writing them down, seeking counseling or sessions of meridian therapies such as EFT (for more information on EFT go to www.eft.com and www.emotionalfreedom.com NOTE: Peg Donahue at www.center4fengshui.com is a superb EFH practitioner. EFH shifts your energy very quickly and powerfully.
In addition, two fixed stars that we have worked with many times this year (especially Regulus!) are involved in the 8-8-8. On August 8th the Moon will stop by for a visit to Spica, the star in the hand of the Great Goddess, and the place where we manifest abundance (represented by a sheath of wheat) and illumination (sometimes represented by a lamp). This is the place we learn how to sow proper thoughts and emotions in order to reap positive outcomes and creative joy in our lives. And it’s a perfect accompaniment to the energy of the 8-8-8.
Then on August 10th, two days later, Mercury meets up Regulus while the Moon hangs out near Antares. Mercury has one last thing to say to Leader of Leaders (Regulus the Lion King and Simba the Feline Queen) concerning the Leadership Convention of July. And Moon touches the star Antares - the heart of the Scorpion - to reflect to us the continued need to excavate the Shadow side of our culture and learn to live from the heart - i.e. not solely from the mind (disconnected from earth and other human hearts) or solely from the physical (holding out-of-balance materialistic goals which manifest as greed and corruption). It’s time to tear down the old structures and raise up new leaders to run the new ones.
********
There's a LOT more to this article, and all of it was interesting. Has me thinking I want to do something special to mark the day. Today, I was thinking about making some kind of charm or something....jewelry pendant maybe, out of PMC, then actually do the firing "on" 08-08-08 too. I should see about making several of what ever I decide to do. They will be charged with major positive energy! Probably be the best firing I've had all summer up until now. :)
New Venture
The past couple of months I've been making tiny flowers and greenery for my miniature vases and pots. I was inspired by many of the Mud Team members who were photographing their work with flowers from their gardens.
My first attempts were from kits, and I think that is obvious by the simplicity of the laser cut paper leaves. The paper didn't take to watercolor very well, so there really isn't much definition or depth to the leaves. The paper that was for the actual flower did allow for painting, and I also added my own touches like mulberry paper centers to look "fluffy" in the center of the poppies.
The Tiger Lily from the kit did turn out nice though, and I especially liked the first vase I used them in. The glaze and carving turned out really well, and I will probably try to get a similar one made sometime down the road.
I have enjoyed the flower making much more once I started using my own paper and imagination. The wild roses are my favorite, like in this vase:
My favorite vase from the last couple of months is the last picture. It took forever to carve the designs, and glazing was a trip too. I didn't want any bleed, but did want the lines to be clear. The inspiration was a vase done by Hampshire Pottery about a hundred years ago. The miniature isn't exactly like the vase they made, but you would be able to see where the spark came from if I had a picture of the original.
Was a Fluke!
The first entry here was when I was all excited about getting a great new green on a couple of vases. Well.....it never happened again! Was just a fluke. I tried to repeat the glaze mix and layers the same on several pieces after that, but never got the same exact look again.
I have gotten some great glaze combinations lately though, even a few good greens. Like this one, I really like the texture of this piece.
Friday, March 21
Might finally have it!
The elusive "Grueby Green" 
that potters and sculptors
have been trying to duplicate
for a hundred years. I love mixing glazes and experimenting to see how the different combinations will come out, especially with matte greens. There is nothing as lovely as the deep, rich green used by the early
American Arts & Crafts era, and getting the same hues on my newest minature pottery is very exciting.
that potters and sculptors
have been trying to duplicate
for a hundred years. I love mixing glazes and experimenting to see how the different combinations will come out, especially with matte greens. There is nothing as lovely as the deep, rich green used by the early
American Arts & Crafts era, and getting the same hues on my newest minature pottery is very exciting.
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