Signs of Spring in Northwest NJ - Good and Bad

Crocuses Blooming

Daffodils Sprouting

Buds on the Magnolia Tree

Muddy Cleats

Allergy Medicine

Shedding Cat

Peanut Butter Squares

My youngest son turned 14 last Sunday. I can't believe it. I feel like this was just yesterday.


Anyway, instead of birthday cake he wanted Peanut Butter Squares. He also wanted this last year and the year before that. In the kid's defense, they are wonderful! I remember my mother making them when I was his age.



Here is the easy, no-bake recipe.

Mix together:
1-1pound box of confectioners sugar, sifted
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 sticks butter or margarine, melted
1-17 or 18 ounce jar of peanut butter

Press onto the bottom of a 9 X 13 inch baking dish.

Melt together:
1 stick of butter or margarine
1-12oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Pour and spread the chocolate mixture over the peanut butter mixture in the baking pan. Refrigerate for a few hours and cut into squares.

*NOTE* Poster is not responsible for clogged arteries, weight gain or tooth decay.

Nice Things Come In Small Packages

I added these tiny earrings to my Artistry Arts shop last week. Earrings are my must wear piece of jewelry. I don't know about you, but there are times when I want an earring that I even feel in my ear. I want a small, very light earrings on days when I don't feel good, it's very hot, my allergies are bothering me, etc. It might seem strange, but that is how I feel.



Do you have days that you want a small earring? These look large in the photo, but they are less then an inch long.

Black and White

As I was listing this bracelet I was thinking of my mother. She loved black and white and I grew up in a house that was decorated with a lot of black and white.




So, I decided to Pounce undiscovered shops to see what other black and white I could find.

I love this adorable Sock Punk Zebra from Sock Talk.

Check out Vayda's Pet Shopfor a custom pet portrait.

I fell in love with these black and white fused glass earrings by Gilded Lily Glass.

And we all know someone who loves spooky things like this Mr Marrow keepsake box made by Shadow Hill Lane.

All of the above shops, except mine, haven't had a sale yet. Why don't you give them a visit and show them some love.

Almost Spring

This is one of my favorite times of the year. Winter is, finally, almost over. I can feel the weather beginning to turn. Yes, we will still have cold days and even colder nights, but the warmer days will be become more and more frequent.

This month the Etsy Bloggers are posting about what they like and don’t like about Spring.

My likes are easy:

Leaves on the trees

Birds singing

Warmth of the sun

Green grass

More hours of daylight

Open windows

Kids outside playing

Flowers

Gardening

As for my dislikes, there is only really one:

Allergies! Sneezing, runny nose, itchy, watery eyes.

Yes, I suffer quite badly from seasonal allergies. Last year I thought I would give it a go with over the counter medications only. After all, the commercials say how great they work. Well, maybe for some, but definitely not for me. I was miserable. I won’t be making the same mistake again this year.

What are your likes and dislikes about the arrival of Spring? I would love to hear.

A Chainmaille Treasury

I woke this morning to find that I had been included in a chainmaille treasury. (Available for viewing until Monday, March 16, morning)

I love chainmaille treasuries, not only because I make and sell chainmaille, but also because it lets people know that chainmaille is not just about knights and armor.


Thanks to Avionmaille for including me in this beautiful collection.

Featured Etsy Blogger For March

This month's featured Etsy Blogger is DesignByNora.

She has these cute polymer clay stud earrings in her shop and is offering free shipping. That can't be beat.



You will also find a great selection of handbags by her Uncle Naz. Cindy's purse, shown below, is just one of the many that Nora has to offer.



Right now Nora is offering $1.00 purchases as a way to celebrate her 100th blog post. What a great time to visit her shop and make a purchase.

Think Pink

I just added this to my Artistry Arts shop. It was made by crocheting bright pink lined and pale pink lined glass seed beads into a bangle bracelet. Perfect for Spring!

Spring Ahead

For those of you living in areas that observe Daylight Savings Time, don't forget to set your clocks ahead 1 hour at 2:00 AM tomorrow morning (or before bed tonight).

It should be sheer torture getting the teenagers out of bed for church tomorrow morning.

New Handmade Selling Venue

I came across a new online site for selling handmade called Artistry Arts. They allow only the selling of handmade items and supplies used to sell handmade items.

I was fortunate enough to be among the first to sign up and therefore qualified for a 6 month free membership. This allowed me to start listing and set up my my store without having to pay a penny.

For those who still wish to sell it is only $5 per month to start selling and that price is guaranteed to never go up. You can list as many things as you want and choose how many days you want to list for - 30, 45, 90 or 120. You can also have your listing automatically renew 1 or 2 times.

I think that my favorite feature is the payment options that you can choose from. You can require your buyer to pay instantly before the item is removed from your shop or you can choose to invoice them for their purchase.

The front page also features different items on a rotating basis so that every time you refresh you will see new items that are chosen randomly. What a thrill it is to see some of my items on the front page at any given moment.

Some other features are:

· Paypal Cart Checkout

· Ability to Leave and Receive Feedback

· Sell Similar Option

· Favorites

· Create and Send Invoices

· And more.

This site was only started about 1 month ago by Sharon and John, also known as Mom and Pop. They are constantly upgrading the site and are very good about responding to user recommendations.

Check it out. What have you got to lose?