Etsy TREASURY FEATURE 8/29 - 8/31

An ECO ETSY team member, fashiongreentbags, created a TREASURY entitled "I SEE WHITE"... and featured a lot of yummy vintage white buttons from my Brizel Supplies store !

Fashiongreentbags creates and sells wonderful bags made from reclaimed t-shirts and proceeds from her sales go to a food bank !

Thanks so much for the feature Linda :)

Etsy TREASURY FEATURE 8/24 - 8/26

An ECO ETSY team member, Moon Beads, created a TREASURY on Treasury West entitled "CELESTiAL THiNGS"... and featured one of my Brizel Silk Tapestry Table Pouches which can be seen below on the upper left corner !

THANKS so much Moon Beads !

More news of MAWR...

David wrote a couple of days ago with a Mawr report:

"He's doing well, and has had the whole house available to him since around the time I last wrote to you.

As you can see in the attached photo, he's getting along with the other cats pretty well most of the time. Yarrow

(the orange one) still hisses at him occasionally, but Mawr just ignores him, and they go on about their business.

He spends a lot of time upstairs, where all the cats can go, but where the others don't go that much unless one of us is up there. He comes down from time to time, though, and he always comes in and spends some time with us on the bed before bedtime. Sometimes he sleeps with us. I'd say it's going better than either of us expected at this point, and that there's a good chance that they'll all be good buddies before long.

He seems content and happy, and is bonding nicely with both Mari and me."

ACORNS are falling !

Its only August and the acorns are already beginning to fall here at Twilight...

Surely this is THE sign that harvest days are coming and that autumn is beginning to brew in the cauldron !

Dingo and I were hanging out when this plump juicy green acorn fell amidst our company...

It almost hit one of us on the head but fortunately the screen mesh diverted it unto the ground...

And so... Chicken Little's rumour did not begin here at all... instead... we enjoyed a restful watch of goldenhr !

APPLES apples... APPLE WiNTER SPiRAL @Twilight

I've been wanting to create a pictorial reference of the 18 varieties of apples that are the essence of the huge Winter Spiral garden here at Twilight. Recent photos of this apple orchard can be found in previous blogs on the subject (see index at the bottom right of the blog page).

The Winter Spiral is a grouping of apple trees that have been planted to create a large scale 80' diameter spiral. Nine trees reside on the external perimeter and nine trees half way to the spiral's center on the 40' diameter line. The trees have been planted in half diamond formation zig zagging with lavenders planted in between each of the 18 trees. A small decorative fence defines the outer spiral and from its entry gate... there is a large path that winds between the trees all the way around to a 30' circular space. At the center of the spiral is... a stone altar & bird bath where Tara, my 19 yr old feline daughter, now slumbers.

These are the current varieties of apples that are growing and co-existing in this wondrous spiral orchard....

GRAVENSTEiN

OZARK GOLD

NORTHERN SPY

KINGSTON BLACK

SPITZENBERG

PINK PEARL

TAYLOR'S

COURTLAND

ANNA

LADY

RED FUJI

GRANNY SMITH

KARMIJN DE SONNAVILLE

YELLOW DELICIOUS

LAMB ABBEY PEARMAIN

JEFFERiS

HUDSON GOLDEN GEM

NEWTON PIPPIN

The photos that appear here in this blog were not taken by me and are not the fruit from my trees... but images downloaded from the web and many from Trees of Antiquity web site... the nursery from which many of my trees came from.

If you are looking for a bare root supply nursery for fruit trees- I highly recommend Trees of Antiquity and have fond memories of working with Neil. I first met them when the business was still in Sonoma County, Ca. They moved south and are now located in the Santa Barbara Mountains. Click HERE to go to their web site.

It is my hope that the existing 18 apple trees will continue to grow in strength and flourish... I've had to replant some of the locations up to 3 times... mostly due to a combination of things such as sun scalding, wood beetle borer infestation, poor water quality, under watering due to drip irrigation blockages... Not all the issues are resolved perfectly but I have learnt a great many things... and so... I continue the journey here at Twilight !

HAPPY HARVEST and ENJOY THE APPLES :)

GREENWOMAN

The heart of the Land is in Greenwoman's safekeeping... She is the flowers... of all colors and shapes... She is the sweet pea of the garden and the queen of the harvest... She is the Empress of the woods... of the nuts and berries and fruit... wild and tame... She is the gentle sound of water... of bird song, bees buzzing and animals romping... She is the breeze that brings honeysuckle scents to delight my senses... She is abundance and Her cauldron overflows in generosity !

Etsy For Animals VICKI DIANE TREASURY !

Well... here it is... the special Treasury we worked so hard on... Thanks to Pey Lu and Vicki Diane !

Vicki Diane is an Etsy artist who has a reputation for creating wonderful Treasuries and who recently was inspired to create an UPFRONT SERIES by asking artists to photograph themselves with one of their products. Team EFA (Etsy For Animals) was invited to do so with their animals in the picture frame as well !

So off we went to create something...

I've already blogged about the LOVE IS THE KEY product that I put together and this is the one that got listed into Brizel4TheAnimals and which is currently being featured in this special Treasury.

Here's a screenshot of it:

MEET ETSY FOR ANIMAL SUPPORT

Vicki Diane, in her own words... has this to say about herself in her Etsy profile:

"I'm in LOVE with life , colour, music and art. My creations are bold, vibrant, sexy fun unique and ALIVE . ( hopefully as you read -- like me ) !

I'm from London UK , where I left at 19 and travelled the world singing the blues and playing the piano.. made a couple of records and collected many a stray dog on the way.

I am lucky enough now to live between beautiful Southern Spain,( Andalucia ), and the UK.

I've a HUGE passion for animals and animal print which I must have picked up on my travels , and also vibrant rich exotic and Mediterranean inspired colours, having spent many a moon relaxing and sinking my toes into foreign sands ;) "

Here's the link to visit her Etsy shop: VickiDianeDesigns.

THANKS SO MUCH VICKI... and for all that you do !

happy golden Full Moon !

Once again... Dingo woke me up early... and just in time to see Her glowing golden radiance as She set behind the horizon !

LOVE iS THE KEY charming FUNDRAiSiNG necklace

LOVE iS THE KEY, or at least it is for me... this charming message necklace spells out this sentiment very nicely and is likely to open the hearts of all whose gaze falls upon it.

Love is the key is a necklace made of silver plated wire... with white ceramic alphabet cube beads, each side with the same letter in a different color... tagua nut beads, an eco-friendly petrified wood from the rainforest which is known to have & to hold receptive healing qualities... and adorned with a sweet key charm pendant.

This necklace is a small limited edition and is currently available in a variety of tagua nut spacer bead colors: white, pink, red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, purple.

Available for purchase in my third Etsy shop, brizel4TheAnimals, which is dedicated to raising funds for animal care. My animal pack are all rescues... all needing special attention and tender loving care and with your help, I look forward to being able to help & support other animals in need as well !

The sales from this particular product line will go to benefit Dingo. The picture above was taken a few years ago and is one of my favorites of her. She is needing a ramp to help her up the stairs to her bedroom, which can also be used to climb on the bed and into the van.

Dingo is now approximately 17 yrs old. She's been with me for a little over 5 1/2 yrs, I rescued her from a lifetime of being kept on a chain guarding someone's property and often not seeing anyone for days at a time. The minute I saw her... I told her owner that I would take her with me the next time I set foot on his property. Within a week she was in the safety of my home.

Merlin & Nimue were only 6 months old at the time and all three of them got along very well until... two years ago, for some reason (perhaps there was an alpha switch ?) Nimue began to hold grudges against Dingo that became a liability for everyone concerned. Since then, Dingo is kept seriously seperate and all is well :) I have never known Nimue to behave that way with any other being- she is especially gentle with babies, small kids and cats. Someone once told me that in the wild, the elders in the pack are often banished or killed in order to keep the pack strong & healthy.

A belated thanks for the BLOG FEATURE !

On July 25th, Kristen from PlanetPlayground.etsy.com was awesome enough to feature me on her blog as her Friday Eco Fabulous Seller, you can visit here to take a peak: http://www.theplanetsaplayground.blogspot.com/

This is the write up I submitted in answering "What do I do that makes me a Green business ?"

"I approach everything that I do and make... with a consciousness and awareness... that is focused on the well being of everything and every being that might have been effected in producing any and all components that were used in making the product. Its a tough process... because essentially there is an impossibility to this task... every action has an impact, for better or for worse. I try to be concerned not only for the environment but also for animals and humans. Being a green business, to me, means that I want to minimize that impact as much as possible.

When I am looking to buy crafting supplies, its usually because i've become enamored with a specific 'something': often its made of something that was reclaimed (like the silk sari yarn i use)... or was rescued from being thrown out (like the Guatemalan sashes)... or its a vintage item that wants to be re-used (like the buttons i'm obsessed with)... or its an eco-friendly product (like the renewable tagua nut wood)... or its made of natural material (like ceramic clay beads or silk yarn made from banana fibers)... or its a local material (like the apple wood that i grow and prune myself).

Then I also apply those sensibilities to how I package my products- both in presentation and shipment. The jewelry goes into handmade draw string bags that will be cherished and re-used by the new owners... I try to find packaging supplies that are made from recycled materials and that would also be easily recyclable or reusable by the recipient. I reuse packaging materials as extra measures: such as bottle caps- gently used bubble wrap & envelopes- paper & plastic bags- colorful pasta boxes. However I never compromise on the beauty of the presentation as I want to keep everything looking lovely & on a professional level. I love what I do and I want it to show :)

and lastly, I try not be excessive about anything because I believe that being green is about being humble with all resources !

THANK YOU so much for featuring me on your blog :)

Nicole

Big country cat moves to big city !

Mawr is moving on to bigger places...

It was an honor to be Mawr's mother these last two and half years. I have known him his whole life... some eight yrs at least. It was my friend Ellen who gifted him to Gabriel. The poor guy arrived at his destination screaming and indignant... you see, he has never been a good traveller... Ellen had called him Superman but Gabriel being a Welsh-ofile settled with Mawr ('MA-wer') which evidently means 'big' in Welsh.

When Gabriel passed away two and a half years ago, Mawr moved in with our family which at the time was comprised of two male felines and three dogs. For whatever reasons, he did not like Moonstone... and it became clear that Merlin would be his nemesis. So... Mawr got his own special room... and we all settled in as best as we could.

Then Dingo needed to be kept seperate from Nimue... so she joined Mawr and they happily roomed together... a miracle since Dingo is the only dog Mawr has ever liked and tolerated and in this manner, a nice companionship unfolded !

Today, David & Mari travelled up from San Francisco to pick up Mawr and take him to his/their forever home. They were mutual friends of Gabriel's and so already know Mawr very well. Their household boasts four felines, three of which I am told are over 9 pounds. Mawr a steady 15 pound feline has extra digits to justify it !

It is my hope that Mawr will settle in with his new family smoothly & quickly. I will miss him and all his little ways & moods. The office already feels empty without him but I know in my heart that relinquishing him was in everyone's best interest.

Ahhhh... these furry animals... they come into my life and bring me into Love Land... I could not imagine a life without them... without their unconditional love... without their companionship.

Thanks for trusting me and fare thee well Mawr !

0O)OoO(OoO)OoO(OoO)OoO(OoO)OoO(OoO)OoO(OoO)OoO(OoO)OoO(O

Sunday August 2nd email from David:

Hi Hazel,

He's doing well. After just a few minutes in the car, he got mostly quiet and hardly complained at all the rest of the trip. According to plan, we're giving him exclusive use of the back room so he can settle into a smaller space without other kitties, then we'll introduce him to the rest of the house and its occupants in a few days. So we let him out of the cat carrier in the back room, and he promptly crawled under the treadmill and hid. I understand that's not unusual for a cat in a new place. So we put out food, water and litter box and left him to set his own schedule. This afternoon he came out with just a little coaxing (and a few greenies), and he hung out with us, purring loudly, and let us pet him for a long time. He has only had a little of his regular food (I put out some fresh for him when he emerged), but he is sitting on the card table looking quite content and looking out the window now and then. We drop in often and pet him.

We took Aletia to the vet on schedule in the early afternoon, while Mawr was still hiding, and we decided not to drag him out and disturb him with another car ride and a vet visit just yet. He has no need to get to the vet right away, and he will be happier settling in if we put that off for a week or two.

Thanks again for all the love and care you've given him over the past two years. He thanks you, too. We'll keep you posted on his progress.

Love,

David