Heartful Purging

Today I purged my mailing list.
I had more than 7,000 names on my list. No business this small needs 7,000 names and addresses on file.

People that haven't ordered in over 5 years - you're outta here. I eliminated well over 1,000 names.  Ruthlessly, fearlessly, heartlessly.

No, wait. Not heartlessly.

Anonymous names, people who ordered once or twice back in 2005 - bye, see ya, no problem. If you order again, you'll be back in my computer.

But it pained my heart to eliminate many, many names.

Names that have been on file since the mid '90s.
Names that stood out in my mind because, I dunno, maybe they sounded like someone I went to high school with.
Names of long-time customers who ordered 40, 50, 60 times over the years.

Those hurt the most.

Why hasn't she placed an order with us for so long? Did she get tired of beading, and is now knitting or rubber stamping or scrap-booking? Did she find another source that she liked better? Did arthritis cripple her fingers, making it impossible to hold a beading needle?

Or - please - no - did she die?

I confess that I've left the names and addresses of a few of my customers who have passed away, be it last year, or 15 years ago. I keep their names on file. It makes me smile when I come across these gone-but-not-forgotten customers, kind of a bittersweet tribute to their memory.

Remember this: You mean something to someone, whether you know it or not.

Creepy / Cool

Big John gifted Mark with a 12" toy plastic skeleton.

Yes, my husband plays with dolls.  Creepy dolls.
A little grafting, some scraps of deerskin, a bunch of trinkets lying around the house, copious amounts of Epoxy, and more than a few bursts of expletives, and . . .

. . . the Dragon Warrior is born.

He carries a deerskin sheath for his sword

the canteen is about 1" in diameter

and his vintage crystal-encrusted, leather-wrapped shield is about 2.5" in diameter

even a skeleton dragon warrior needs a puppy!

Oooo's a good puppy-boy? Ooo is?  

 

Swarovski Crystal Pearl Sale

Happy New Year to You and Yours!

I'm re-doing my Swarovski Elements Crystal Pearls display and repackaging every last little pearl.

Hmmmmmmm. . .
The more I sell NOW, the fewer I'll have to repackage. I just hate undoing what has already been done! Soooo much easier to just start from scratch with a fresh new batch o' pearls!

Won't you help me?

So for just a couple of days, I'm taking 30% off all Swarovski Crystal Pearls. 

No minimum, aside from our standard $10 order minimum. You can do $10, easy-peasy! I know you can!

• Supplies are limited to stock on hand - no backorders! 

• This offer expires at midnight on January 1, 2012. 

     Wait . . . or is that midnight on January 2, 2012? 

     Ahhh, you know what I mean - you have until the end of January 1st.

Street Barbers and Dentists

We're still on the streets of Kashgar in Western China.
There's a whole block of dentist's offices

and barbers set up right on the sidewalk.

Let's Make a Batch of Smoky Almonds!

Mmmmm, Smokehouse Almonds. Got a few minutes? Let's make our own.
Yeah, it's that easy.

Start by preheating the oven to 300°, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Or you can spray it with nonstick cooking spray if you don't keep parchment paper on hand.

Break one egg white in a deep mixing bowl. You can save the leftover yolk to make, I dunno, Hollandaise Sauce or Lemon Curd or Custard.

Whisk it up till it's nice and foamy.

I have a thing for my old-fashioned, hand-crankin' egg beater, but you can use a whisk like a normal, modern human.

When you've got a good little foam going on, add a coupla teaspoons of Garlic Powder, a coupla teaspoons of Celery Salt, about 1/2 teaspoon of Kosher salt, and a tablespoon of Liquid Smoke.

Liquid Smoke . . . what a weird concept. What IS that stuff, anyway? It sounds so creepy and artificial - but in reality, the ingredients are Smoke and Water. That's it.

And for those of us without a smoker, which I imagine is most of us, it's what's we need to do the deed.

None of these measurements are set in stone - I usually add a little more of each ingredient because I like . . . more. More is good. Too much of everything is just enough.

Stir it up and throw in 3 cups of raw almonds.

Mixy-mixy-mixy.

Stir it all up until it's evenly coated with ooey-gooey goodness.

Spread them onto your cookie sheet and bake them for 30-40 minutes, giving them a loving stir-around every 10 minutes.

That's it! Easy-peasy, right?

Eat.
You're welcome.

GingerDead Men!

6 pounds of Smoky Almonds

10 pounds of Sugared Cinnamon Pecans

and a coupla dozen GingerDead Men!

Early Winter Sunset

One evening last week . . .

. . . and the very next evening . . . 

The sky is on fire!