Stoned ... Or Not

 This past week the kitchen counter top company came out to see if our old counter tops could be salvaged. 
When our house was built we opted for a cost effect alternative to granite and chose a solid surface, man-made  quartz/granite.  To save even more of our limited funds we decided upon an overlay.  An overlay is done using a much thinner piece of the faux stone and it is made to simply fit over an existing counter. (Sort of like putting on a wig.)   Since there wasn't an existing counter to start with  a thick sheet of plywood was attached to the top of the base cabinets and then the overlay was glued to it.
The photo below shows the two sections of quartz/granite that were removed from the old base cabinets.  Notice that the one piece is turned over so you can see the plywood underlay (the tiny piece next to it is a piece of the backsplash...which is also right side down but not for any particular reason).

Photo below...Close up of the underside showing how the overlay creates the look of a more expensive thicker slab.

Nick, the owner of the counter top store,  has an unbelievable last name, it's Formica...no honestly that is truly his last name, Nick Formica.  Perhaps he was destined to go into this business or he thought because of his last name he was an ideal fit for this profession. 

Nick has taken the two sections of our old counter and will try to cut, slice and polish it into a new counter that will fit into the newly formed work area.  I have my fingers crossed, please send me your best wishes, as this particular stone pattern is no longer manufactured so we can't order a new section of it. 

We will be removing the remaining sections of backsplash as I'd like to run tile from the counter tops up to the bottom of the wall cabinets.  Wish I knew what could be done with these pieces of  stone as they are rather pretty.  Guess it would probably be impossible to make beads from it as it would make some pretty stone like beads and a whole lot of them. lol 

Could Care Less About Getting My Groove Back...Just Give Me Back My Microwave !

Last week my marvelous hubby, John, got the oven cabinet into its new position.  It was not an easy task as that sucker weighs a couple hundred pounds and that's completely empty, sans drawers, doors and shelves.
Once John had the cabinet in place and leveled he bolted it in place and then inserted and reconnected the oven and microwave.  Oh happy day !  I can't begin to tell you how much I missed that microwave.  At one time I even thought about sitting the oven on the floor and connecting the microwave but then realized that the sides of the microwave were exposed and it was designed to be shielded by the wood cabinet.  Didn't really like the thought of all that radiation bouncing around my kitchen.

Photos above and below...The oven and its cabinet are in position and back in action.  Now the next step will be the counter top and backsplash.

Photo above...John had to add a cove molding between the wall and the side of the cabinet as the wall was not all that plumb.  There was a good gap along a part of the back edge of the cabinet which was far too big to fill in with caulk.  I think the cove moulding looks very nice. 



ETSY...WHERE IS IT GOING ???

Oh where, oh where has the old Etsy gone. Oh where, oh where can it be?
It once was right but now is all wrong,  please bring back the old Etsy !


I used to frequent the forums, truly more fun than it seems
But now it's limited quorums, made up primarily of teams
If I were a customer buying with my paycheck I have just cashed
I'd find it difficult trying to find where Promotions are stashed


So Etsy is now a misfit, I don't like its brand new look
It's obvious some CEO dim wit wants it to be EtsyBook


Oh where, oh where has the old Etsy gone. Oh where, oh where can it be?
It once was right but now is all wrong, please bring back the old Etsy !

Recently I listed a new item of mixed beads and a lovely carved fluorite flower pendant (the beads are carved barrels of pale translucent, lavender amethyst and lovely amazonite. 

After listing I decided to go to the Etsy forums to promote the new listing and...horrors...everything had changed.  I have no idea how to find what I want or even what teams to join.  Perhaps this is Etsy's way of forcing us to purchase their showcases ?  Or maybe the rumors are true about Etsy wanting to become a social networking site.  Who knows?

Trying To Shake Off SAD

Lately I've been out of sorts, moody and down.  Perhaps it's SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) as we've had so many dark gray days this winter.  Yesterday was sunny and today promises much of the same so I'm hoping that my mood will also brighten up and I'll become more functional...especially blog wise.


Our kitchen "adjustment" is coming along nicely though we did have to wait a bit longer for the wall cabinet to come in (about 3 weeks longer).  But it is up and looks good.

Photo above and below...Wall cabinet box is level and in place.

Photo below...Remember the base cabinet that was sitting in our living room?

Photo below...It is now in position beneath the wall cabinet, giving me more useable counter space next to my stove. Yea! 

Photo below...Doors are now on the wall unit.  Looking good!

Photo below...And all those drawers that decorated my family room floor ?

Photo below...Those drawers are now back in their base cabinet where they belong.  Loving it!

Photo below...Just one drawer remains but we'll be getting to that soon. :)

Too Early for St. Patrick's Day ?

Perhaps it's a little early for St. Patrick's Day but then it's getting past prime time for Valentine's Day so I'm trading in Valentine Red for Emerald Isle Green. This earring necklace set was made almost a year ago, unfortunately it was too late for St. Patty's Day and it was stashed away for safe keeping. At the time it was a pendant and earring set with no chain or cord.

 However this year I decided to make up a lovely chain to go with it. Yes the chain is bulk chain. To this bulk, flat-cable chain I've added a simple springring clasp and a round jumpring, doesn't take an accredited jewelry maker to accomplish this but it completes the set making it look high end.

The chain, clasp, jumpring and all gold beads in this design are 14k gold filled...I think we are all aware of the price of gold today, I figure I have almost $15.00 in parts in the chain alone! A ready made chain would have been more, considerably more. I did all the wire work including making the spiral stud post earrings, which come with 14k gold filled clutches.

Now I need some opinions. It's listed in my Etsy shop at $42.00, since it will be shipped in a gift box I have shipping costs at $2.00. Considering my materials and Etsy fees my profit will be $12.42. Now am I asking too much for the set at $42?  Why I ask?  Well it's only gotten 11 views and no hearts so I wondered if the price was a turn off?

Oh btw, the shamrock leaves are from the shamrocks that grow wild in my back yard, thought maybe they'd bring me some good luck even if they're not 4 leaf covers.

Waiting On The Cabinet...

Since we're still waiting on the one wall cabinet that we need I've no updates on the kitchen remodel.  Though perhaps remodel isn't quite the proper terminology, it's more like a kitchen adjustment.  The cabinet was sort-of-perhaps-maybe-supposed to have come in this past Thursday, now they're thinking maybe next Wednesday.  No big surprise to either John or I as this is the 3rd kitchen that we've remodeled and we've always had to wait extra time for the cabinets.   Think it's one of Murphy's laws.

So instead I'm  sending you a pastoral shot of a sunny pasture and an adorable calf.  I could not resist that sweet angelic face.  Wish I had a sugar cube to treat him with, but then I would have needed one for the rest of herd too.

Photo above...Okay all together now...awwwww, how cute!

THE DOMINO EFFECT

Photo above...a cabinet full of K-Cups

The Domino Effect, where one thing leads to another resulting in an unstoppable cascade of events. We are all aware of this effect, as there are few of us who’ve not played with those little rectangular Domino tiles as children. Carefully we would line them up one behind the other and then with a slight flick of our tiny finger we’d knocked the first kingpin over, watching as tile after tile toppled in rapid succession down the path we had so diligently mapped out. I never actually played the true game of dominos until I was well in my 30’s; perhaps I never realized that those dots on each tile were there for other reasons than merely decoration.
In my last post I mentioned our new Keurig single served coffee brewer and hinted that with all the K-Cups we were accumulating our tiny kitchen space might require some modifications.  So begins the Domino Effect.

Photo above...Our Keurig single serve brewer, the kingpin domino.

Photo below...All the K-cups and paraphernalia that accompanies our new Keurig. You may notice the limited counter space in that tight little corner.

Photo above...There was a cabinet there, where the bare concrete of the foundation shows.  We had to remove the solid surface counter top in order to remove the cabinet.  The counter top is resting on the top of our coffee table, which is visible in the background.

Photo below...This is the cabinet that sat in the corner, that had the counter top, that was in the kitchen that Jack built.

Photo above...Notice the wall is open allowing service to the family/TV room.  The cabinet that was there is now sitting in our living room.  Our plan is to interchange our oven cabinet for the drawer cabinet.  So this means the ovens will have to come out, the cabinet will have to be detached from wherever and whatever it is attached to and then moved down to the end were the smaller drawer cabinet was.

Photos below...The framing goes in.

Photo above and below...The ovens have been removed. Does this mean I don't have to cook ?  Ha, only in my dreams!

Photo above...John's removed the the counter top to this tiny 9 inch Tray Cabinet, it will remain where it is and the larger drawer cabinet will come in and rest alongside of it.  A new 36 inch wall cabinet is on order (has been for about 3 weeks now).  Someday, when this project is over I will have 45 inches of counter space here to work on instead of 9 inches.  I have on a happy face right now just thinking about that.

Photo below...The oven cabinet now keeps the drawer cabinet company in our living room.  That big black boxy thing in the background is the oven and microwave unit.  Really don't miss the oven that much but the microwave has been sorely missed.

Photo above...Drywalling is done.  All we're waiting for is the 36 inch wall cabinet and we can get this baby done.

Photo below...Meanwhile this is how I'm living.  It maybe easier to see which drawer has what pot in it but as far as interior design goes; it stinks!

Hopefully it won't be much longer before the wall cabinet comes in and we can finish up this project that all started out because of a new coffee maker and too many K-Cups.  I'll keep you posted.

Coffee Beans and K-Cups...

Coffee is a sacred word to John, my hubby of 41 years. Each morning he brews a full pot of his favorite Colombian brew, made from whole coffee beans that have been freshly ground. Then each evening he would use a second, smaller, coffee maker to brew a small pot of decaf Colombian roast. Every morning I would end up with two coffee pots sitting at the edge of my sink waiting to be washed; the big morning pot and the small evening pot.

Knowing John’s an aficionado of coffee, I was intrigued by the commercials that appeared shortly prior to the Christmas holidays advertising single serve coffee brewers. It struck me that with one of these in my kitchen perhaps there’d be no further use for the small evening coffee pot and one less pot to have to wash daily…plus, this could be THE perfect gift for John. However I wanted to check them out and also find out if he would have any interest in such an appliance. Casually I mentioned the TV ads to see if he’d show any signs of enthusiasm but his interest appeared lacking, or at least distracted.

It got down to the hectic finale last 2 weeks of shopping before the big C day (Christmas) that we headed up to the big outlet mall in Parrish. Our prime mission was to replenish our dwindling supply of Harry and David, Moose Munch and also to detour over to the kitchen specialty shops in search of a “chef’s cutting glove”.  I of course had an ulterior motive and that was to scope out the single serve brewers and possibly see if John would show a bit more interest in them.

The sales associate at the Kitchen shop was most courteous and helpful, finding us the cut proof glove we were searching for and directing me to their display of single serve brewers. Of course the more the sales lady talked about these brewers, the more interested John became and he began to flood her with questions. I found out an awful lot about the different units available, about K-Cups, filters, and the fact that Keurig has a special little option that allows one to brew a single cup using their own blend of coffee.

Now John was interested, too much so, and it was a hassle to get him out of the shop before he ended up purchasing a brewer on the spot.
I hoped that John would let the adventure into single serve brewers fade from his memory as I had every intention of returning to the mall and claiming one of these lovely machines to gift him with. Alas, as soon as we got home, John was on the computer learning all there was to know about the different manufactures, makes and models of these coffee makers. He was scouting out the best buys and before I knew it he had committed us to the purchase of a lovely black and chrome, Keurig unit. So much for surprising him!

In review we both love the unit and it is used frequently throughout the day. My youngest daughter, who was home for the Christmas Holidays, even enjoyed it so much she’s put it on her wish list, not the big unit like we have but the smaller unit…kitchens in NYC are mostly tiny and counter space is very limited.

Photo above...cabinet full of K-Cups

We’ve tried several of the different K-Cup blends; I’m partial to the Hazelnut, the Breakfast Blend and the French Vanilla, while John prefers the Colombian Roast. Since my taste in coffee is clouded by the fact that I used to drown it with creamer and sugar, I found many of the dark roast blends too bitter or with a scorched flavor for my taste. However K-cups come in just about every imaginable brand name (over 200 varieties) from famous Starbucks to Green Mountain, Donut House, and Timothy’s etc. We also tried the Ghirardelli hot coco mix that came in the sampler package. Though it was rich in chocolate flavor and delightfully tasty it really doesn’t require a single cup brewer to make as one could easily microwave a cup of hot water and pour it over the coco mix…of course we always add miniature marshmallows.
If I were professionally reviewing our Keurig single cup brewer I would give it a 5 star rating, but that maybe because I’m thrilled to no longer have to wash that small coffee pot every morning.

Photo above...However with our own limited counter space, our collection of K-Cups will require a slight kitchen remodel .  Stay tuned.

A Tale of Blue Eggs

Funny story. My farm girl daughter, Kathi, keeps me apprised on how her chicken brood is doing; I’m perhaps more informed about the chicks that I am about my grandkids. Recently she sent an email showing the huge egg that one of the feathered girls had lain. In comparison to the standard 2-inch eggs this whopping 3-inch beauty was a monster.

photo above and below...The largest egg yet, a whopping 3 inches. Turns out it was also a double yoker.

Some of you may recall that a few months ago I mentioned Kathi had purchased a baker’s dozen (13) of baby chicks  . Of those 13 chicks they thought 3 were roosters. A few months later she purchased a few more baby chicks to bring the number of her flock up to either 16 or 17 (and that’s another story for another time).


As it turns out my animal loving daughter went to the local farm supply store to purchase supplies for the horses. Our grandson, who is at ease talking with people, started a conversation with the lady running the store. He told her about their horses, the dogs, the cats, and the hamsters. Patiently the lady listened and occasionally asked a question or made a comment.  Never being at a loss for words, our verbose grandson then proceeds to tell her that they have a flock of chickens.  Well it so happened that the farm store had a couple of rescue animals in their midst, one of which was a rooster.  Casually she inquired if they would like a nice little rooster for their flock of hens.  Her query was met with a smile as he replied; "No we've got 3 roosters".  Then our grandson went on about their chickens and, eager to impress, told her about the huge egg and how the other eggs were so colorful, from a soft light red-brown to green and a pretty blue.

At this the lady’s attention perked up. “Blue eggs?” She questioned. Grandson nodded. She questioned him some more asking the color and description of the different chickens. He proudly describes them. When she asked; “How do you know that you have 3 roosters?” He confidently started describing the color of the males and how they had this muff or beard of feathers that stuck out from under their beaks.

Hearing this the lady smiled and replied; “Honey, those aren’t roosters. They’re Ameraucana chickens and Ameraucana’s lay pretty blue eggs.”

I have a feeling that the 3 Ameraucana hens were probably relieved that the truth of their femininity was out at last . Wonder if the kids are going to rename them now but then I suppose Sam isn’t such a bad name for a gal.

Postscript…Kathi left the Farm Supply store with 2 rescued animals: a Lop Eared bunny and a real, true rooster. Just what she needed, more animals for her mini farm.

Sweat Shops Alive and Thriving

Sweat Shop - circa 1890

My last blog post received a number of comments and all of them were well thought out and eloquently written. It would appear that all too many artists under value their work due to market expectations and most of us concur that the buying public is lead by Wal-Mart mentality. This is true to a great extent, though there are many individuals who appreciate and recognize the workmanship, quality and uniqueness of any type of handcrafted product that is not mass produced. As long as there is a Wal-Mart people will shop there to take advantage of the low prices and to stretch their hard earned dollars.

Wal-Mart started out as a company that proudly bought products made in the USA, they even boasted how they supported USA manufacturing. That was back in the days of Sam Walton the founder of Wal-Mart, I'm sure Mr. Walton would not recognize the behemoth that his chain of stores has become. In our day and age we would be hard pressed to find many items sitting on a Wal-Mart shelf with the "made in the USA" sticker on them .

Sweat shop - not much has changed except the century.

To read more about our big corporations benefiting from the use of cheap labor and supporting sweat shop conditions (like those of the western world over 100 years ago) click this link : http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/sweatshops/sweatshopsfaq.html

I suppose our only hope is that China, along with the other countries who have excessively cheap labor, will eventually end up with strong labor unions in much the same way the Western world did. Strong labor unions will insist that laborers be paid substantially and given benefits such as medical insurance, life insurance, paid vacation, cost of living raises, bonuses, retirement/pension plans and disability benefits should they incur any injury at work. Soon these workers would be earning the same amount as their equivalent in the USA, Canada, England, Australia, etc.

If there is no longer cheap labor, then perhaps companies will stop outsourcing manufacturing jobs. Once this occurs then big box stores such as our infamous Wally World will soon fill its shelves with locally manufactured goods. Since Wal-Mart is a global company I imagine that we could see items manufactured from all parts of the world, perhaps Wal-Mart would even consider changing their name to World-Mart?

So let's root for those strong, organized labor unions in places like China, the Philippines, India and anywhere in the world where big corporations exploit dirt cheap labor.

A Shocking Realization

Photo above...Seed bead work, a supple beaded band and hours of work.

Starving Artist! We've all heard the term before and those of us who are involved in the arts in any form or fashion may even have had a chuckle or two over the expression. But this morning in particular it struck me big, bold and blatant, the truth. Most artists do struggle to make some form of existence, many times their art ends up being a sideline while another means of employment pays the bills and puts food into their mouths. Why? Good question and one I wish I had an answer to.


Yesterday I was remorsefully viewing my etsy shop, a number of items had expired and many items that I had worked so hard to fabricate where sitting there with very little views. Disheartening yes, especially when one considers how vast the Internet is and how many tens of thousands, if not millions, of people are browsing it at any given moment.

One item in particular caught my attention, a beaded spiral rope made up of hundreds of tiny little 3 millimeter Czech glass beads and approximately 10 to 12 hours of tedious work. It was listed at $55 (for both the beaded rope and a glass pendant with my own handcrafted seed-beaded bail). How much was my time worth ? What's minimum wage ? I googled "minimum wage" to find that, at the present time, it is set at $7.25 per hour.
Okay now for the math:
I spent about 10 hours carefully constructing the beaded rope alone and another 3 or 4 hours designing and fabricating the bail made from maddeningly tiny seed beads.
So let's figure 14 hours of my time. 14 x $7.25 = $101.50

Now add to that the 6 strands of Czech glass beads that went into the making of the rope necklace 6 x $3.00 = $18

About $1.00 for the cost of yards and yards and yards and yards of Nymo beading thread.
I won't count the cost of things such as the #12 and #15 ultra fine beading needles that were used (beading needles tend to develop a cork screw curve to them and have to be tossed after a couple of projects - also they are very fine and fragile and I can't count how many I've broken).

2 sterling silver metal beads were used in the construction of my handmade clasp; worth about half a dollar each, so there's another $1.00.


The 39 mm art glass pendant cost me only $3.00 wholesale (of course I had to purchase in bulk to qualify for that discount, and a bead shop would at least double that price).


Then about another $2.00 in expensive little Japanese Delica seed beads, the best money can buy (had I purchased them in my local bead store I would have paid 3 times that amount...but bead stores have an overhead to pay for).


Final value of Beaded Rope Necklace :
$101.50 (time in labor)
$21.00 (in beads)
$3.00 (for glass pendant)
$1.00 (for Nymo)
$126.50

Numbers don't lie! I should be charging $126.50 for that handcrafted beaded rope necklace.
I have it listed at $55 and I have $25 invested in it in supplies.
Etsy's take on my $55 would be $1.93 + $0.20 = $2.13
Paypal's take would be $1.66 (for necklace + S&H) + $0.30= $1.96
total etsy/paypal fees = $4.09


Shipping and Handling is listed at $2.25 (gift box for shipping necklace cost $1.00 USPS fees $1.58 = $2.58 and packaging doesn't include cost for printing out a packing slip, or for gift wrap, tape, a free Thank You Gift, etc.)


So :
$55 minus supplies = $20 minus etsy/paypal's $4.09 = $15.91 minus S&H $2.58 = $13.33
My take for 14 hours of work is a whopping $13.33 that's less than a dollar an hour.

Suddenly Starving Artist takes on a whole new realization!