Category Archives: Me, me, me

Posts about me, my family…these posts aren’t exactly on topic if you’re here to read about Etsy, paper goods or the handmade community.

Childrearing, definitely not for faint of heart

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OMG. (No, I don’t normally use “OMG” in normal conversation, but today’s round of school shopping/child events deserves it.)

Yes, I’m that mom who took her son to the Children’s Museum for some mother-son pre-school bonding time only to put him in a very public and messy time-out as I tried to transition him out of the building. If anyone has a better way than reminders/warnings of the big leave-taking  every 10 minutes for the last half hour OR buying said child a huge ice cream cone as a bribe, let me know.

(The huge ice cream cone did work quite well to draw Small Child out of the play apparatus at the McDonald’s Play Place, however. I thought we’d never leave because although I could definitely hear him, I couldn’t see him amongst all the netting, tunneling, and children’s limbs.)

Etsy, Address Labels and Me

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Fantasy CloudYou may have popped into my shop and noticed that it’s basically 200+ listings of address labels and more address labels.  You’d think, hey, there must be some matching stationery around here, right?

Uh, no. (But I’d be totally happy to whip up some for you–I’ve got more than enough supplies–I’m just lacking the focus to branch out.)

So, yeah, I’ve been a little nuts about address labels.  I’m fixated. I can’t help it. I have to say, labels have been very good to me, especially in the beginning.  Back in 2008, there were no round address labels–really, there were very few address labels–at Etsy.  Back then, if I posted a design, it probably stayed on the front page of search listings for HOURS.

Sketchy ScallopIt’s not like that anymore, that’s for sure–obviously, there are plenty of designs to choose from, and really, I should probably expand out into other products, but I have to tell you: I love designing on that tiny 1.5″ piece of paper, even if Etsy is getting to the point where’s it’s a bit saturated when it comes to labels. When I really get going, I can cocoon myself in a Spotify playlist, close out the rest of the world, and create a little piece of art.

So, labels make up my little, happy place. And, you know what? It’s important to me that I’m doing something that makes me happy, something that I have choice in and something that I can put my all into. It calms me, gives me a focus and gives me a sense of accomplishment when I’m finished. And, I think all that positive energy shines through on the designs I really put some love into.

What puts you in your happy place?

 

It’s just change: Etsy’s new relevancy search

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Flower Garland Address LabelThank God that Etsy decided to switch their search default from most recently listed to relevancy in August, before I started school and before the hordes of holiday shoppers started to descend upon the site.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, here are the basics:  the buyers at Etsy, the site that I get most of my traffic through, mostly rely on the site search to find new products.  So, if someone doesn’t know my shop and is at Etsy looking for address labels, she’ll probably take a look at the top of the page, type in “address labels,” and then several pages of results featuring address labels (or not–which is another issue entirely) will pop up.

Cupcake Favor StickerSince the beginning of time (well, since the beginning of Etsy, I imagine), that search was sorted by the most recent listing.  So, if I had just posted a new label or had relisted after selling something, my new item would be at the top of the first search page.

Now, Etsy is using relevancy for its results.  That means items more related to your search term are placing higher in the results and that the quality of your search results should be better and more topical.  There are fewer unrelated products showing up on the first several result pages, and that’s good for customers and sellers.

Blue Circle Address LabelSellers are having to do a lot of work to make sure that their items are showing up at the top, though. And, it’s a bit of an art to get the search listing stars to line up as I’d like them to. Lots of sellers in the forums are, to put it mildly, freaking out.

I’m not saying they shouldn’t be concerned–it is a big deal.  In the end, though, I know we’ll all get the hang of it if we pay attention, and we’ll move on to the next obstacle.

That’s right, I’m taking it in stride.  After a bit of research and work, I think I kind of have things figured out–for now.  In a few days or weeks or months, I’ll have to do this thinking all over again…but that’s life.  Life is change.

Lotus Address LabelThe sentiment in the forums right now reminds me of my life right now as a teacher in Wisconsin.  Let me preface this all with the note that I wish things were different, that we hadn’t had our education budget slashed and that kids weren’t going to be coming back to school with bigger class sizes and to teachers who are worried about when the next shoe is going to drop. Despite the fact that I’m not happy about the state of our state or economy right now, I know that dwelling on it hour after hour, day after day and week after week doesn’t make it any better.  Instead, I had to focus on the good, focus on what I could control–myself–and make me the best that I can be. Sure, it’s been a challenge, but I’m working at it and I know that no matter what happens, we’ll all get through this.

I think all of us have to remember that change is inevitable–we can’t get so caught up in the fact that things are changing. Instead, our energies need to be directed at getting through the upheaval and worry, and possibly coming out in better shape on the other side.

Recipe: Zucchini Souffle

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Mixing up zucchini souffleA few days ago, I wowed you with that pumpkin zucchini bread recipes, I know.  I know you just can’t wait for more wonderful zucchini goodness.

Or not.

If not, I give you permission to leave, although you really don’t need my permission, of course.

If you’re sticking around, you’re in for a surprise.  Here’s the deal: I love savory a lot, sweet, not so much.  Sure, a good jam or sweet bread is fine, and I’ll definitely eat it (but then again, that’s unfortunate because there’s not much I won’t eat). Anyway, I wanted to find something relatively easy that hit those savory keys.

This zucchini souffle recipe worked out perfectly–not only did I have all the ingredients, but it’s simple, too. Here goes:

Zucchini Souffle

  • 1 c.flour
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 c. vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 pounds zucchini, grated
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • paprika
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  2. Mix flour and baking powder together into a bowl. Lightly beat eggs, and mix them into the flour with the oil. Stir in the onion and zucchini, and season with salt and pepper. Spray some Pam in a 9×13-inch baking dish an. Pour in the mixture and sprinkle with paprika.
  3. Bake in preheated oven for one hour.

Photo Gallery, Done.

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After putzing around with it for too long, the photo gallery is finally working with PhotoPretty, so when you click on a thumbnail of the zucchini post below, the lightbox pops up and lets you click through to view the next photos.  Sometimes, it’s the small details that keep me confused.

Making Pumpkin Zucchini Bread

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9: Fresh out of the oven

Today’s latest exercise in not letting poor, innocent vegetables go to waste was Pumpkin Zucchini Bread. Yeah, you could make regular, old zucchini bread, but what would be the fun in that?  You need to spice it up a bit, right? (Besides, T is the house’s reigning zucchini bread champ, and I’m not about to give him a complex by beating him at his own recipe.)

Here’s the recipe:

  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin
  • 1 cup butter or margarine, melted
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 cup shredded zucchini

Notice, no nuts?  Small Child is allergic to peanuts, so we avoid all nuts around here.  Walnuts would taste fine in here, though–we’re just so used to going without that I don’t even notice the difference.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the eggs and sugar in large mixing bowl.  After that, add the pumpkin, butter and vanilla.  Then, gradually add the dry ingredients.  Mix well.  Add the zucchini. Mix well again. Pour into two floured and greased loaf pans, then bake for 50 minutes or so. Cool on a wire rack.

Then, slice it up, smooth on some butter and eat up! (Alternatively, hide one loaf so that the gang devour both loaves in two hours. It’s happened.)

Garden’s Bounty

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Summer is a stuggle for me.  On one hand, my days aren’t carved up into regimented sections for me, so I can attack projects in a way that works for me. On the other hand, I’ve got lots of projects–enough projects that sometimes I start to abandon them.

Take, for instance, the garden.  I love planting and doing early weeding, but as the days slip further into July, I start to lose interest in this northern garden.  It just takes so long to get anything aside from lettuce and radishes on the table, and I know that when I really start having to worry about heaps of tomatoes and cucumbers, my free-form days will be history and I’ll be in school.

This year, I’m making a point to do better. Early this spring, I bought myself a copy of Canning for a New Generation, and I’ve been waiting to try it out on my own vegetables. I even picked up pressure canner (despite the fact that I have nightmares about horrible, scarring kitchen explosions).

So, today, T is picking me up some lids and new rings for my jars when he heads into town, and I’m going to be canning some dill pickles and dilly beans later tonight. I’m easing into this–the pickles are in a no pressure-cooking zone, thankfully. Wish this klutz luck, anyway.