My Secret Santa Gift 2012

This year my secret santa from CAST was Nelly from http://www.etsy.com/shop/NellywithWings. My gift came in two separate packages. First, this strange box arrived. I had no clue what was in it, I just knew I hadn't ordered it! It was early December when it arrived so I didn't even think about it being my SS gift. I finally opened it since it had my name on it. As you can see from the cute little box it contained nuts! 1 lb of organic almonds and 1 lb of dried fruit. They were delicious and helped me get through the last two weeks of a stressful semester. I did share. :)

Delicious and healthy!

Yum!

I thought the box was pretty funny. It was covered in jokes!

Secondly, about a week later a package arrived containing these:

I was thrilled! Nelly knows I have long admired this bracelet in her shop! She was kind enough to include one for each member of my family!

Thank you so much, Nelly! My gift could not have been any more perfect!

Missouri in Drought Part 1

I've been going to post this for three weeks, but I can't seem to find the time to go back through my CD's of photos from April and May to find the ones I wanted to post, so I'm posting these few from the last two weeks as part 1 and hopefully I can find time to post the others eventually. The first one is a small pond that has completely gone dry. The middle two are of the lake below the house. That all used to be under water. The last one is of a tree along the bank of the lake. Those roots should be under water. Instead they are exposed and about 5 feet from the water. I don't know how the tree is surviving!

Name That Flower!

Name that flower is back! I went ahead and listed this card in my shop today, but I would really like to know what kind of flowers these are. It's not a sunflower, I've never seen anything with leaves like it. They are about 5 feet tall and grow wild in the fields of MO.

The first person to correctly identify it will receive a free 4 x 6 print of the photo. So name that flower!

In Loving Memory..

of the foal I fondly called, "Baby". There are pictures of him for sale in my shop, but here are some that didn't make the cut and are cute anyway.

BNR vs BNS

With the launch of the CAST's BNR last week I have been getting lots of questions about the difference between BNR's and BNS's, so I thought I would do a post on it. Here are the questions I am asked most often: If I buy into a BNR when will I be featured? Immediately! VS. BNS When the current round fills up. In the CAST BNS that means 14 sales have been made. When will the BNR be open? Whenever I or someone else has time to open it. VS. BNS The BNS is open every night from 9-11 PM EST unless I post otherwise. Can I post my coupon code in the BNR? Yes, please do if you are a featured shop. VS. BNS Yes, please post your coupon code if you are featured. How will I know when I'm featured? Whoever is curating will send you a convo when we open with your feature. Anything else I should add? Leave me a comment!

Changes in the Air

Spring has sprung here in Missouri. I have been busy capturing the beauty of a Missouri springtime with my camera. Tonight I am excited to share some of that beauty with you! Click on the CraftCult widget on the right hand sidebar or the link below to be taken to my Etsy shop for an opportunity to buy a photo card or print of my springtime photos. Here is just a sample of what I will be releasing over the next few days. http://www.etsy.com/shop/krafterskorner?ref=si_shop

Name That Flower/Tree Contest

I know most of Missouri's birds and animals at first glance. I'm good at identifying some trees and flowers, but these have me stumped. The first person to correctly identify what they are in the comments will receive a free cropped and edited print of the photo without my shop name on it. So name that flower!

Red Bud Tree

Crab Apple

Spring Beauty

Wild Cherry Tree

Larkspur

We have a winner!

Random.org chose sammysgrammy as the winner of my giveaway. Congratulations! Please contact me with which item you would like and in what color. Thank you to everyone who entered!

Happy Anniversary-To Me! and a Giveaway

Last Friday was my one year Anniversary of my first Etsy sale. That night I made my 230th sale. Now I'm at 250 and counting!

To celebrate I am doing a fun spring giveaway. If you win, you can choose 100 paper crosses or bunnies in any color you would like. Here are some examples:

We will do it the old fashioned way with comments since some of you had trouble with Rafflecoptor last time. I'll keep this simple.

There are 2 ways to enter but each person could have up to 8 entries:

1. Tell me your favorite thing about Easter.
2. Tweet or Pin an item from my shop. (This can be done daily for up to 7 entries.)

I will choose a winner using random.org next Tuesday. You can leave comments to enter until 10 PM Central time Tuesday March 20th. Please leave your email address or Etsy shop name in your comments so I have a way to contact you. Thanks!

Heavy Heart

It is with a heavy heart that I report that Karen only has 9 days left until she will be kicked out on the street to live a life of prostitution and try to survive on her own. This girl captured my heart two years ago. Why couldn't anyone see her potential? What an awful way to celebrate your 16th birthday!

Handmade Top 10

I earned a permanent place on the Handmade Top 10 list! I added it to my sidebar. Mine is the plate in 8th place.

I am offering a coupon code in my shop this week. Take 12% off any order for the first twelve days of the year with code NEWYEAR. http://www.etsy.com/shop/krafterskorner?ref=si_shop

Happy New Year!