Saturday, November 27, 2010

The Shop is LOADED



Click on any item above to be taken directly to that listing in my shop.

I've put everything I can imagine up in my Etsy Shop. The gallery above is not even everything that's up there! It's time to promote, market, advertise, and nearly spam you poor people to death, so that you'll think of me when you're making out your holiday shopping list. I apologize. It's exhausting. And, I hope not too annoying for you, but this is what has to be done in order to be at the top of the lists when people are googling for jewelry. This is how I make my living.

Yesterday was "Black Friday". When (and why) did we give the day after Thanksgiving a name? I suppose some advertising guru determined that it was the start of holiday shopping and therefore retailers would be "in the black" (making a profit) for the year. And then we were told that we had to go shopping on this day. The idea of standing out in the cold in the middle of the night in front of a big box store waiting for some kind of incredible bargain on an item made in China just totally escapes me. A man in Buffalo, NY was trampled yesterday, for God's sake!

Today was "Small Business Saturday". I like this idea much better. I'm told that if you spend $100 at a small local business, $45 of that will stay in the community. Of your $100 spent at Walmart, or some other large chain, only $13 stays local. And small businesses provide between 60% and 80% of new jobs.

I worked at Hands Gallery (one of the cooperative galleries I belong to) yesterday and we had a very busy day. We didn't open until our usual time, 10:00, and we've never had a sale. Everything in the store is made within 50 miles and it's ALL HAND MADE. Here. In the USA. We surely didn't make as much money as Target did, but we had a very good day. And 85% of the profits are returned to the artist members who make the merchandise. 60% to consignment artists. Now, don't you think this is a better idea?

So, I think tomorrow is "Come To Your Senses Sunday" and then on Monday when everyone goes back to work it's "Cyber Monday" when people buy online what they didn't get over the weekend. I hope they shop at zoenelson.etsy.com , because, like I said,  this is how I make a living.

Don't forget that you can get a 10% discount by entering the coupon code BLOGREADER.

Monday, November 22, 2010

10% Off For Blog Readers!


Here's some new hammered copper, textured sterling and turquoise earrings. I've been adding them to my Shop and I also have them with tiger eye, malachite, light blue agate and amethyst beads. With silver prices skyrocketing, copper is an economical choice these days. They would make a great Christmas gift for someone! You know it, don't you? New copper necklaces and some silver necklaces will be added next.

I've been steadily updating my Etsy Shop over the last few weeks, getting ready for Holiday shopping. Yesterday I noticed that they now allow me to add coupon codes. What a great idea!! With Thanksgiving coming up this week I'd like to show my gratitude to everyone who takes the time to read these random ramblings. Go to my shop and enter the code BLOGREADER for a 10% discount. Thank you and I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

"Her Name Is Lola...


She was a show girl
With yellow flowers in her hair
And a dress cut down to there..."

I'm not really a fan of Barry Manilow, but the name just seem to be right for her. After all "What Lola wants, Lola gets." She's already spoiled rotten. How many cats do you know that will lay on their backs with their feet in the air and want their belly rubbed, like a dog? I've determined that she's not only a reincarnation of Cinder and Roscoe, she's part Pancho, too. Pancho was the half Border Collie and half Blue Heeler that I loved and lost custody of in my divorce. He's moved on to the afterlife now, too.

And I know you're thinking of The Kinks' song, "Lola, L-O-L-A, Lola". Well, since she was already spayed when she arrived, I have no idea what her sexual preference is.

So this will be it for the cat posts for now, unless she does something remarkable like starting to speak in English. (I wouldn't be surprised!) I know not everyone out there is a cat person.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

She's Still Here


It's been over a week and still no one has called to claim her. This is hard for me to believe, as she is a very sweet cat. Loving and affectionate and not much trouble. Soneone said that she just turned on her kitty GPS system and programmed it for my house! She's been going outside and coming back in without coaxing. But I still feel like I kidnapped her.


Now that all this time has passed and she's probably going to stay with me, we should figure out what her name is. You heard her in the video - she's very meowy - so one name could be Edith Bunker. (You also can hear my tumbler running in the background. Sorry about that noise.) Or, I could call her Loretta Lynn because she sounds a little whiny like a country song. Not very good choices and my sister said she doesn't want a cat-neice named Edith. The name quest continues.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

So Strange

Yesterday, exactly one week to the hour since Cinder died, I looked out on my porch and this is what was staring through the glass talking to me:


I was gobsmacked. First, that a cat had just showed up on my porch at that exact time, then after getting a good look at her, that she seemed to look like a combination of Cinder (see photo in the last post) and my previous cat, Roscoe.


Roscoe was one of the sweetest cats I've ever known and I was devastated when he died several years ago. He always seemed to know my moods and was a great source of comfort when I was going through a very rough patch. He had a hard start to his life. He was found in a dumpster, very sick,  too early to have been taken from his mother. As a result, he always had a compromised immune system and had lots of health issues during his life. His gratitude for being saved from the dumpster was always evident.

Now, back to this little visitor. I went out to see if I recognized her as belonging to one of my neighbors and realized that 1) I had never seen her before, 2) she wouldn't put much weight on her right rear leg, 3) she was starving. She was all over me, meowing and wanting to be held and petted and tripping me up when I tried to walk away. Since I'd given away all the leftover cat food, I gave her half a can of tuna.  When I tried to examine her leg, well, she didn't like that one bit. After picking her up I thought she was either very well fed or maybe pregnant. Hmmm... this is getting stranger and stranger. I called or left messages for all of my neighbors and made up a flyer with her picture. Then I made an appointment with the Vet.

Her trip to the Animal Medical Center of Boone revealed that she had recently been spayed, maybe 2-3 weeks ago. (Thank God she's not having kittens!) She does not have a microchip to identify her owners. Her sore leg was from a deep bite wound, also recent. She received an antibiotic shot, some samples of cat food to tide us over and was sent home with me. The other odd thing was that Dr. Roten saw some "blue glue" on her belly, used to close the incision. She said that the only place that uses that is the spay/neuter clinic in Asheville (2 hours away) that our Humane Society uses in order to offer the surgeries at a low cost. So, she was either adopted from the HS, or her family moved here from Asheville. The HS was called and no one had reported a missing cat.

We were experiencing our first really cold weather and snow showers, so I HAD to bring her into the house. After exploring a little she settled in like she had always been here.


She curled up and slept next to Cinder's ashes. You can see where her back leg is shaved.

So I'm thinking that the Universe has sent me some kind of Ghost Cat or Messenger Cat on purpose, and every time I look at her I just shake my head. I'll continue to look for her family because I know how devastating it is to have a missing pet, and since she's been spayed they have a financial investment in her. She's welcome to stay here in safety and keep me company until we find them. If that doesn't happen then she's welcome to stay for good. I really didn't want to get another cat until after the holidays, but if this is meant to be, then how can I deny her? In the meantime she doesn't have a name, just "Little Girl" or "Kitty". We'll see how things progress.