Showing posts with label Wordful Wednesday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wordful Wednesday. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 05, 2010

WordFUL Wednesday: The Magic of Google Earth

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Even though I've frequently visited the Bronx, for some reason, I have never seen the landmarks of my heritage: where my parents lived, where they went to school, where they married.

As the story goes, my parents met in their fourth-grade class. I remember giggling when I first saw the picture, my now short mother standing in the back row, my dad sitting in the front. They grew up in the same neighborhood and attended the same school through junior high. They started dating in college, and the rest is history.

Though they're not together anymore, I'm still as fascinated now by their history as I was when I was little (probably even more so now), so imagine how excited I was when I finally saw some "historical landmarks" via the magic of Google Earth.

This is where my mom lived in high school. Mom and Daddy spent many hours talking on the steps.


And here is where my mom went to high school. No offense, Mom, but this picture makes me grateful I went to school in Florida.



Seeing these pictures has put me on a new mission to capture photos of places we didn't previously document. What a wonderful contribution Google Earth will make to my scrapbooks!

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

WordFUL Wednesday: The Etsy Edition

Wordful Wednesday is sponsored by:



Ever since I asked you guys about your expectations as a blog reader, I've been thinking about the reason I blog (more on that later), which led me to think about the reasons I do other things: write, scrapbook, list things on Etsy.

This is the Etsy post.

Growing up, I watched my dad make all kinds of things with his hands, from models to jewelry. I remember watching him as he wrapped wire around gemstones, wondering where he drew both the patience and inspiration. Though the hobby fascinated me, and I thought one day I might like to try turning the pretty beads our local craft store had to offer into something cool, my time and money was always spent scrapbooking.

It was when I was brainstorming what to make for my mother-in-law for our (semi-)handmade holiday that I first started dabbling in bead work. All it took was making a few wine charms, and I was hooked. The problem is that you can only make so many gifts for your friends. In my mind, I needed a reason to justify my supply purchases; I needed a reason to litter my craft studio with beaded drink markers and keychains and bookmarks (oh my!). So I started an Etsy shop.

I really don't make much money on it. In fact, at this point, I'm far from breaking even. This is partly because I'm terrible at self-promotion. While I have the means with my many social media outlets, I feel guilty pimping product to my friends. I also, quite honestly, need to work on taking better pictures to adequately capture the colors and detail of each piece.

The bottom line is I have the best time making this stuff (I don't think playing with Twilight, True Blood, and Florida Gators supplies will ever get old), and attempting "to Etsy" (if Google is a verb, why can't Etsy be one?) gives me permission to keep playing.




Disclaimer: the rest of this post is one of those self-promoting, shamefully shameless (how's that for an oxymoron?) plugs that I hate so much.

Through May 2, I'm running a Mother's Day special: any "Gifts for Her" purchase includes complimentary gift wrap and a handmade card.

You can follow Second Glantz Crafts on Twitter for the latest listings, sales, and promotions.

And end shameless plug.