Raige Creations

Happy Monday! For today's Music Monday , I thought I would supply a little banjo and folk rock. After all, we are in "bluegrass country" now, the hills of North Carolina.  I never heard of this band until we moved here and since then I have been listening to a large variety of music I never would have heard where we were living previously. Though maybe technically not bluegrass music , they sure can make the banjo sound good. Mumford and Sons are from England, and really hit the scene last year, with their debut album, Sigh No More , being released in the United Kingdom in October 2009, and February 2010 in the United States. They received two Grammy Award nominations, one for Best New Artist and the other for Best Rock Song (" Little Lion Man "). So here is " Little Lion Man ", the first track from their debut album, and it showcases their English folk rock genre brilliantly.

WOW - the week has completely snuck by me, and it's Friday already! Kinda like how the first year of a small business can fly by..... Happy Birtday Bib In my article, Celebrating One Year  (part 2 link), on IndieSmiles.com , I interviewed shop owners who passed the one year milestone and we learned some great things from them. Grandma Carolyn Grandmother Carolyn, proud owner of Grandmother's House , is a wonderful, energenic supporter of all of us who frequent the Zibbet Community, and Facebook chaos.   I am proud that she has adopted me as her new, so far virtual, grandaughter. Here is her full response to my Celebrating One Year questions. ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY - One year older and one year wiser, right? Well, maybe so....... Sports Fans Everywhere pillow cases Grandmother’s House was happy to “jump on the Zibbet wagon” - it seemed to be a good fit for a small home-based business, whose proprieter had limited (very limited!) computer-understand...

A wonderful Monday, and perfect day for the ska-punk genre of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones ! I am sure you all know this song, but didn't know the band was an American third wave ska band from Boston, Massachusetts.  I awoke normally for getting the kids to school, off they went, and I proceeded to do my normal routine of computer, cleaning, putting away laundry, etc.  Instant Colored Eggs  I was finishing up some egg cozies when I heard the chainsaw. Yes, the chainsaw. (the neighbor's needed to take down some precariously tall and crooked trees hanging over their driveway) Then thump thump, the tree came down. What song popped in my head? I've never had to knock on wood But I know someone who has Which makes me wonder if I could It makes me wonder if I've never had to knock on wood And I'm glad I haven't yet Because I'm sure it isn't good that's the impression that I get Knocking on wood , and the spoken expression "knock on...

While I was searching for other online sellers who had reached the milestone of their first anniversary for my article on IndieSmiles.com, Celebrating One Year , I was lucky enough to meet Terri of POP Embroidery .  POP Embroidery on Facebook I 'found' her on Zibbet , in the North Carolina group, and was pleasantly surprised to learn she is only about 30 minutes away from me! Her warm optimism is contageous , and it shows in her work. You can see it too, in the answers to the questions I asked her last month about her POP Embroidery Birthday . What is the most important thing you have done to get you to your first anniversary as an online seller? During this first year, I’ve remained positive about my ability to design unique, quality handmade products, whether it was scrapbooking or embroidery. Coupled with the tremendous support of my husband and family, I’ve been able to stay diligent through the difficult times. Camo Dad Mini Key Fob How are you celebrati...

Do you need ideas for how to celebrate your businesses accomplishments? House Mouse Confetti Birthday Handmade Card by Mama Dini's Stamperia on Etsy Do you want to know how different marketing strategies work? Do you want to hear how others are successful in their online ventures? Answered yes to any of these? Too many questions? Ok, enough. Go to IndieSmiles.com and see Part 2 of Celebrating One Year . Five online sellers continue to talk about reaching this milestone and offer some creative ideas and advice to others. What have you learned so far in your business? Any advice to share? Thanks and Congrats again to The Pine Cone Tea Cup , Aedan Seppe , The Scrapoholic , POP Embroidery , and Grandmother's House .

Happy Valentines Day to everyone! This is a two part Valentines Post A 'Bleautiful' Collection and 'Bleautiful' Song! Because I realize not everyone is a big fan of Valentines day, I am celebrating BLUE.   Some people may not be so fortunate to share the day with loved ones. Some of us may feel BLUE. Some of us may just be sick of RED. So for those of us who love blue, I offer some cheery blues in this 'Bleautiful' Collection by Fantasy Clay . (She has a fun shop too, that will brighten everybody's day!) You Can Sell It Blues Curated By: FantasyClay ArtFire.com Handmade Soap And don't worry, I didn't forget the MUSIC part of Music Monday.... it's (I'm) Blue (da ba dee) by Eifel 65 . A fun song, though titled Blue, gets you groovin' no matter what mood you're in. Not bad for a trio of Italians. Happy Valentines Day, no matter what color mood you are in! Have fun, and love and laugh!

I try to keep fit. I love going for walks. And when we moved here to the mountains, I thought walks would be just beautiful.  I wasn't wrong about that, they are. Yes, there is a but...BUT the walks are tough! Are you ready? My daughter and dog on the driveway, also joining us today We live towards the bottom of a very steep road and at the bottom is a main road with no sidewalks. So, for our walk we must go uphill. Our driveway is long, so it is good for a bit of a warm up. Then we turn right and hike up the hill. By the time we get near to the top of the first stretch of our road, I am out of breath (not so fit, right?) So let's just look to the right. Worth the effrot I would say. This photo doesn't really do it justice, but you can see why they call it the Blue Ridge Mountains - a beautiful blue haze. The first leg of the walk, totally worth it for this view. Now that I have caught my breath, we get to w...

I have been making Toekini's every chance I get lately. This means that everytime the sun is out and I have Toekini's that need pictures taken, I call on my one and only model and partner in Toekini picture taking - my daughter.  She has braved 30 degree weather outside, on cold stone, with no shoes or socks on to model the Toekini's, sometimes 5 pairs at a time.  Silver Trio Toekini's Other times, she has been the one outside with me modeling the Toekini's, braving the cold wind and taking the time to plan each shot, and get the best close up shots. She takes better close-ups than me! Ariel's Blue Bling Toekini So, when I decided to check out Portable Graffiti 's shop, after seeing her on the forums pluggin her mirrors, I thought that would be the perfect thank you for my daughter. She is 14, so always wondering how her hair looks, how her makeup looks, or needs to check her contacts, and other things like that. She didn't have a small mirror to...

Oh to be a kid again. As we grow up, sometimes we forget what it is like to have fun, to play, to just do silly things.  We are serious, we have long lists of 'things to do', we have endless chores. What can we do to remember to have fun?  Perhaps a look at this treasury, created by a wonderful collector of vintage,  The Candy Shoppe , will spur some creativity and motivation to just stop, and play - with good old fashioned toys! I was never great at checkers, my brother always seemed to beat me in the first 2 minutes. So after the beating, and after I got over the gloating on his part, I liked to build pyramids or small little buildings with them. I could spend a lot of tome just spinning them too.  What is your favorite old toy? What would get you in the mood to just sit and play? For The Young at Heart..Vintage Toys.. Curated By: TheCandyShoppe ArtFire.com Vintage Fashion