Homage to etsy...it's just not for breakfast anymore...

Here it is, January 22, 2008, has time gone by that quickly. It just seems as though we have brought in the new year.

It has been interesting so far. I found the wonderful world of etsy. It has opened up many doors, opportunity, friends and a constructive outlet for creativity with like-minded people.

Etsy is a sub-culture within a culture. Refreshing , new and alive! My predictions is that etsy shall be the next google, hot mail, yahoo.

Not that I am a venture capitalist but look what you could be missing out on! Check out Bessemer Venture Partners anti-portfolio for a good laugh... http://www.bvp.com/Portfolio/AntiPortfolio.aspx

Back to bead business... in later months of 2007 I started a web-site for my Mother who is a self-taught jewelry artist where she began handcrafting jewelry in 1996. Through her imagination her own personal style came alive in the art of personal adornment.

I am quite proud of what I put together in order to promote her work. I never designed a web site before on my own and it was quite the experience. (http://www.beadology.us/) Photo's, links, paypal etc. My next step was to advertise the site. I took the standard route of trying search engines, links and the what-not.

In my endeavor to promote the site I kept on getting, etsy this and etsy that.....I ended up joining another group (which I adore as much as etsy) www.metalchasers.com/landscapediva where the beginning of many a friendship has sprouted.

Through the inspiration from my Mother and new found friends I am soaring with my own jewelry creations. I have always had a back ground in the arts, one form or another, hence the "handle" landscapediva.

Not too many people know how I got the name landscapediva but it was given to me by someone very special in my life. As a landscape designer I met and ended working on many a project with Leroy Holliday, the man who taught me how to move water. He was the irrigation specialist extraordinaire.

Leroy has been moving water as long as there has been dirt on the planet. To this day, he still works in the plant nursery business. I believe he retired for about two weeks, got bored and has been working the last 17 years at a 179 acre growing ground site, where he runs all the irrigation.

Anyway, we worked on a project together and he would laugh at how maticulous I was with my work. When it came to "gluing pipe" it had to be just so. This was about the time with Martha Stewart was popped for her supposed mis-doinging (the only thing she did was lie). Hence, in Leroy's words, "Well since Martha is going away for a while, she needs a replacement".

The next day on the job, Leroy gave me this little purple heart shaped purse that said "Diva" on it. Well the name stuck like "blue glue" and I have been known as landscapediva since then.

Now that I have totally digressed...back to etsy. I encourage anyone who creates anything handmade to get involved, and I also encourage anyone who supports the arts and the concept of handmade items to bookmark etsy and support the people that keep life rich and full.

Deborah