Off The Beaten Path Designs

And the Winner is....

2011-11-16T08:16:00.000-05:00

Just a few things to update on today.

First, let me give a big shout out to Deb from Willow Tree Treasures. She has a give away on her new Home Decor blog and would like for you to check it out. Times of Old Creations

Second Tim has a sale going on through Thanksgiving on Off The Beaten Path Designs so go check it out.

And last but not least, what you you really want to know is who won the give away. We had over 300 entries and I am happy to say that many of you used every opportunity to get your name in the pot several times. So without further Ado.....

THE WINNER IS: KAREN WELLER SMITH

from HARVEST MOON DOLLS

As soon as we get Karen's info, Tim will be putting her goodies in the mail. Congrats to Karen!

Many thanks to everyone else who entered the give away!

Love and Hugs,

A Time to Give Back

2011-10-18T09:29:00.000-04:00

Hello Blog World,

The holiday season is creeping closer everyday day and we thought it would be a good time to give something back to our wonderful followers and customers. Sooooo......we are having a give-away.

Up for grabs is this super prim tabletop center piece Old Santa Hat filled with old prim things. A little mouse has even made his home in the hat. Also included is an adorable Annie and Andy pair of prim dolls. Please see the picture below.

There are a couple of ways to enter to win this package and the more you do, the more chances you receive.

The drawing will be on November 15th.

Post a comment on this blog and leave a way for us to get in touch with you if you win. 1 entry
Subscribe as a follower of this blog. 1 entry
Like us on Facebook. 1 entry
Send us an email asking to be included on our newsletter list with your email addy. 1 entry
Make any purchase on the website between now and November 15th. 5 entries

Good Luck and may God Bless each of you.

The Worst Blogger Ever....

2011-06-25T12:26:00.000-04:00

The worst blogger ever....that would be me. I can't remember from one day to the next what I am doing, so remembering to update my blog is beyond me. I don't have a problem remembering useless bits of trivia or the words to an old song, or even passages from books that I read many years ago, but recent events and happenings just fail to stick. Perhaps the problem is that I have run out of memory space, much the way a computer does. All those little bits of info that I have stored push out the new bits. Maybe it is time for an upgrade or reformatting of ME. Oh how I wish it were that simple, cause I would be the first in line to get me a new 2012 model. It would be sleek and trim and have the maximum amount of R.A.M. and lots of extra storage capacity. Sounds good doesn't it?

Now what I really signed on to tell you about is the Artistic Halloween Queens monthly update on the 1st of July. The queens will have some Spook-tacular items available for purchase. But this month it gets even better because they are having a themed event called "The Nightmare Before Christmas in July" and this month also starts their ornies page. Counting down to Halloween with the Queens is so much fun. Everyone should fly over on the 1st and visit the "Boo-tique". Below is a sneak peak of my upcoming item.

Keep watching for more updates and new monthly themes.

As always and until next time....
Blessings,
B

My Easterween Basket from the Artistic Halloween Queens

2011-05-13T13:31:00.000-04:00

Back in April the amazingly talented Artistic Halloween Queens had an Easterween Basket give-away and I was the lucky winner. I can not begin to describe just how awesome the ornies that I received really are. I have now put them on my year round tree and have taken some pics. Let me say up front that neither my pictures nor the tree do the ornies justice. My new goal is to find a black tree so that I can display them properly. Prepare to feast on all the eye candy.

Not only were the ornies to die for but I want to send a special thank you to Diane from DianieMacDesigns for putting the basket together. The packaging and presentation for the basket was stellar beyond belief.

The Queens have a "Boo-tique" where you can find there items to purchase and if you shop on eBay you can look for them by using AHQU in the search box.

A great Big Thank you to all The Queens for making my Easter even more special.

God Bless,

A Time Forgotten

2011-04-28T10:47:00.001-04:00

Have you been going about your every day life when something triggers a long forgotten memory or moment? It could be a sound, a smell or just a brief glimpse out of the corner of you eye and suddenly you are whisked away through time and space.

I experienced one such moment a couple of nights ago. Tim and I were sitting on our back step waiting for the storm that was predicted to fester up when a Whippoorwill landed just a couple of feet away and began to sing. The moon was out and the storm clouds were racing across it's face and the smell of fresh cut grass was in the air.

Suddenly I was eight years old and in my bedroom with the screen window opened listening to distant thunder and the song of a Whippoorwill. I could hear my Memaw in the other room singing "Down By The Riverside" while washing up the supper dishes. The smell of blooming lilacs and freshly cut grass hung in the air. My bed at the time was quite high off the ground and I had hung my quilts off the sides to make a tent. I lay there under my bed with a flashlight reading "Three Billy Goats Gruff". My world was perfect and I had not a care in the world.

I don't know what it was about that particular moment of my childhood that caused it to be scorched on my memory forever but it was, and sitting on my back step and hearing the Whippoorwill, I lived it all over again. Tim had to speak to me several times to "bring me back" to reality and laughingly asked me where I had gone.

There are many things I can't remember....like where I left my glasses earlier, (LOL!) but it seems that some things just stick with you even if they are buried for a long time. For me it is usually a sensory response that triggers these memories. I hear a song, or a smell drifts by, or a certain taste of a food and like a time machine I am a million miles away in a different place and time. After the encounter I am always a little melancholy and can't quite figure out why. I wonder if I am supposed to be learning from or looking for something during these trips down memory lane? I wonder if Doctor Who feels this way when he returns to the present? Sometimes, I wonder if it is God's way of reminding me of all the blessings I have had in my life?

So, I am asking you, my blogging buddies, am I alone in taking these trips to A Time Forgotten?

A Strange Thing Happened on the Way To the Garden Today...

2011-04-11T16:48:00.004-04:00

So, I was out trying to waddle around our yard today and make it down to the garden where my DH was working and I was toting my camera when what should my wandering eye spy? There sitting right among the daffodills was this giant frog. Well, I had to get some pictures and low and behold the thing began to talk.

Let me introduce "Chauncey, THE Frog King".

Of course he wanted me to kiss him but I was having none of that. (Not with Tim, just down the way... we would have been having frog legs for dinner.) Chauncey and I did have a wonderful conversation though so I just had to share.

Chauncey is my latest folkart doll creation based on Grimm's Fairy tale "The Frog King"

Tim now has him all settled on the website for sale. You can purchase or read more about him here-

Off The Beaten Path Designs

I am off to do some more waddling and see if I can spy any more wondrous creatures in my yard.

Blessings, B

New Happenings

2011-03-18T20:37:00.001-04:00

There has been a buzz around here this last week and we have a few things to share.

First, I want to let you know about a great site - Handmade Art Fair. Hop on over there and check out the great offerings. They are having some give aways so don't forget to register for them. There are many creative and talented artists showing there wares and you are sure to find something to fall in love with.

Next, please visit the Prim Chat's Blog and vote in the Bunny Challenge Poll. There are some sweet bunnies to choose from.

Lastly, Tim has listed some new items on Off The Beaten Path Designs. Please stop in and see the new stuff.

I think spring may have actually sprung and hopefully with the warmer weather I can start moving more and feeling better. Please pray for Japan and for our world in general. These are some wicked times we live in and I believe God is our only hope.

Blessings,
B

Birthdays, Wisdom, and My Musings on Life

2011-03-05T10:59:00.000-05:00

Today is my birthday! Hooray for Me! Today, a few.., several... well OK, many years ago God chose to allow me to begin the journey we call life. So far, I have to say it has been a Grand experience. It has not been without it's struggles, heart ache, ups and downs, and disappointments. As I sit here reflecting on it, I see that all of the good times and bad times have landed me where I am at today and that without the bad as well as the good I might be the person I am today.

Someone asked me if I felt different. Different from what? Yesterday...not so much. Different from 20 years ago. Well, my body would say YES, and although some of my world views may have changed on some things and age truly has brought some wisdom, in my mind I am still 20 years young. I have few regrets, but sometimes I do wish I knew today, half, of what I THOUGHT I knew 20 years ago.

I can remember when I was young that my Grandmother would try to give me some sage advice about various things. At the time I would listen and then do exactly what I wanted regardless if it was she had told me. If I had listened better, maybe I wouldn't have had to experience some of the struggles that I encountered but then I wouldn't have learned the lessons for myself. Recently I found myself giving some of the same advice to my oldest son who is now 20. He was looking very bored with my musings and finally said "Mom. don't you know, kids all have to learn the hard way." Out of the mouth of babes...

It is only when we are older that we can appreciate the wisdom of our elders, but we all have to learn the hard way, which is why history is destined to repeat itself over and over. They say, youth is wasted on the young and with that I think I agree. Just think what a bunch of old "farts" could do if they still had some giddy up in their gait. I find myself now pining for my Grandmother's advice, even if I do need to learn the hard way. She was so right about so many things.

So what age do I think is the best? It is whatever age you are right now. Enjoy, it, learn from it, live it.

When God chooses to turn the last page of my book, I want to look back and say, "WOW, thank you Lord, I had the time of my Life!"

Hugs and Blessings,
B

Copyright, Copy Wrong, Copy You, Copy Don’t

2011-03-01T21:45:00.001-05:00

I thought I would take some time today to address the issue of copyrights and how it affects me as a crafter. Let me interject here that I am not an attorney and what follows is only my experience and opinion. This is a long post so I apologize in advance for being so long winded.

A few weeks ago I had the “pleasure” of being called out very publicly online for copying another person’s doll. An accusation that I vehemently deny and feel that I can legally prove. I want to briefly explain the order of events, my reactions, and the actions that in the end, I took and the reason for this post.

Around 11 AM (my time) on a Thursday morning I received a phone call from another doll artist/crafter that I consider to be a very good online friend. She asked me if I knew (name of my accuser). I said that I did not. She asked me if I knew (name of my accusers business). Again I replied that I did not, but that the name sounded familiar and maybe I had heard the name from when we sold on eBay. I couldn’t be sure since we hadn’t sold regularly on eBay or been in any eBay groups for about 4 years. My friend told me to go to this person’s blog and read it, because she was saying some not so nice things about me and had posted the same thing other places including on Facebook and that I was being flamed. While I was typing in the blog address my friend told me I should be careful because this artist (my accuser) had done this before to other people and it was not pretty.

When I finally saw and read the blog, I went through a range of emotions from disbelief, anger, self doubt, and then some I can’t even put into words. I couldn’t believe if the artist felt as if I copied her, that she hadn't contacted me personally. I knew that I hadn’t seen her doll before but I did see a resemblance in some aspects of the doll at first glance. I knew I had decided to make this doll after being inspired by reading a book to my children and listening to Burl Ives sing a folk song about a frog. I had made sketches of what I wanted to make at that time. I found my sketch book and looked at the dates on it. It said March 2009.

I looked at her doll again and looked at mine….looked at her doll, looked at mine until at some point I said “this is stupid, you know you didn’t copy her doll, you know what inspired you to make the doll and other than the head shape and glasses, they are nothing alike.” ( to those that questioned my inspiration, let me just say that there was no lion in Shakespeare's Hamlet, but Disney made a movie with lions that was inspired by Hamlet) By this time it was up in the afternoon and I was receiving all kinds of emails from my accuser’s supporters as well as people that supported me. There were posts that had to be deleted on our website guestbook. Some of the emails and posts had nothing at all to do with copying and were vulgar, nasty and called into question my parentage and my children’s parentage. I had all of the sudden become quite popular on Facebook and had dozens of friend requests – some from the very people who were sending the nasty emails. I was mad! I posted a statement on Facebook addressing what was happening. Shortly afterward, I received a message via Facebook messaging from my accuser letting me know that I had been ousted and that it was all over the net. I promptly responded via Facebook messaging that she could read my response on my Facebook page. That is the only contact I have had with this person. Late in the afternoon, I contacted an attorney. Since the attorney was not in, I spoke at great length to the paralegal who advised on some things to do until I could speak with the attorney. The first thing I was told was not to respond on any of the blogs or forums where I was being talked about, which is why until now I haven’t responded. Over the following weekend I did my homework that I was told to do and had all the info that the attorney needed for our appointment. I won’t go into all the details of that visit or those that followed but I do want to share some things that stood out to me from our visits.

The attorney asked me after I showed him all the info I had if I thought the accusing artist has copied me. I said no, I didn’t think that. I said I thought we were victims of serendipity. Although the dolls are similar in the head shape and glasses, they are not alike at all.

At one point he asked what upset me the most about the incident. At first I said it was the fact that the person had not contacted me directly, but then it was also the fact that so many people jumped on the bandwagon to accuse me without knowing all the facts. I was accused and found guilty in the emotional court of public opinion regardless of whether I could prove my innocence in a court of law.

Some of the people that posted comments in the various places, I had never heard of, some I know of vaguely because I admire their art work, but their were a few who I know very well. A few of those folks we regularly recommend to others, or we help promote, or have done business with. Some (and you know who you are),we have emails from, dated only a week or so before this incident, thanking us for sending customers to them. If I habitually copy those people as they say in the comments, why would they be thanking us or continue to do business with us?

I wonder why someone would post on their blog a glowing report of how wonderful my artwork and dolls were only a couple of months ago, then turn around and post something online now about how second rate and inferior it is. Is there such a thing as Doll Politics?

At some point my Brother-in-law got involved in this and although he was directly asked not to, he posted on my accusers blog (using his own computer at his own home). I have to apologize for that. I love my BIL as if he were my own brother by blood. He is intelligent, fiercely loyal, has a temper and did have first hand knowledge about the doll in question, however, he can’t type a lick, doesn’t use spell check, and let’s his temper get the best of him. Some trash talk was thrown around, with him trying to defend me and it only inflamed the situation. There was some speculation as to if he and I were married. OH, MY GOSH, NO! I don’t believe it is legal anywhere to marry your brother as was suggested in some comments. My husband is Tim and it is he that actually owns the websites and sells my dolls. When I say we, I am referring to Tim, myself or my oldest son who is involved in our business.

Over the course of gathering information about this incident I learned a lot. First, don’t ever think you know someone because you have regular interaction with them online. I found it ironic when I found blog posts about artist copying artist from as far back as 2006 and the same people are regularly involved in the trash talk. Some of the people that were supporting my accuser today, only couple of years ago, were being accused of copying themselves.

Oh, and be careful of what you write online. You might think it is helping you today but it might come back to bite you in the butt tomorrow.

I do not consider myself a professional artist or doll maker. I make dolls because I love doing it and it is one of the only things I am still capable of doing. It has helped me keep from going completely nuts. I am disabled and handicapped. That is about the only thing my accuser got right in her blog post. I am not mentally handicapped however, only crazy. I do NOT make a living out of making dolls although some of them are owned by some well known celebrities and have been shown in galleries. I have not been published in any magazine that I know of, but I didn’t know that was a requirement of being a doll maker or that I should be striving for that.

Let me state loud and clear that I in no way, shape, or form, condone or endorse copying another person’s work. There has been one time that I am aware of that one of our custom created web designs has come out extremely similar to another design, although every aspect of that design was mouse drawn by us. We found out only after being questioned about it, that we had been duped into creating this design by our customer and that they had a “beef” with another designer. The customer was very detailed about what they wanted and we created it for them not knowing about the other designer.

Tim just refunded someone this past week when they tried to pull that same trick and he found out before sending them the work. For that reason he has decided to limit the amount of custom created designs that we now do.

So if you are a crafter or artist how do you protect yourself from being copied and getting accused of copying?

If you are an artist of any kind, have your work copyrighted legally. Your copyright to your work is yours as soon as it is put into any tangible form, but if you need to pursue legal action you must have it filed legally with the proper copyright authority in your country. If filed online, the cost for the US copyright is $35.00. You can file a collection of items at one time instead of each item individually. If you do not file at the time of creation then you have to submit proof of when the item was created. If you file in the US online, the waiting time to receive the official legal copyright can be anywhere from 4 months to 2 years depending on the copyright offices work load. If you file by snail mail, the time can be much longer and the fees are higher.

If you think someone has copied your work then contact the person directly. If you do not get the response that you want then file a DMCA take down notice. If that does not work and you are positive, I mean positive, with absolute proof that your item was created first and you hold a legal copyright then get an attorney and let them handle it. If you are proven right you may end up very wealthy. If you are proven wrong however, then you could be out of some money and face a counter suit. If you feel the need to tell the whole world about it and want to put it on your blog, go right ahead. You have that right under the first amendment. I do not suggest taking a picture of the offending item and putting it on your page unless you took the photograph yourself. If you do copy and post the picture, then you are violating the copyright of the person who took the photograph and the website you took it from. You should not copy anything that person has written and post it anywhere without their permission because again anything in written format is copyrighted to the author. You can summarize what they said but not copy the complete text or you again would be in violation of copyright laws.

If you are new to the art or crafting world do not let the fear of being called a copycat stop you from creating. We all learn from something. We are all inspired by something. Often times the same thing inspires many. I believe that we all are connected together by God and being so connected that we share a collective consciousness. There are many times when different people come up with the same idea and think that it is their original. If you use a pattern from someone then give that person credit. Do not set out to intentionally copy someone, but you can be inspired to create something new.

When we first started doing graphics we used graphics purchased from other designers. We gave them credit for the graphics. We mostly used graphics from Trina Clark. There came a point when we needed some different graphics that Trina didn’t offer and we couldn’t find. I emailed Trina and asked about learning to make the graphics myself. She was extremely kind and helpful and told me the program she preferred to use, as well as some others that would work and where I could find some tuts on learning to make my own. If anyone inspires me it is Trina. Although I do not copy her graphics I aspire to be as good as she is with mouse drawn graphics. We still use some of Trina’s graphics and when we do she has a credit on them.

There are many things that inspire my dolls. I have been reading since I was four and love books. Much of the inspiration comes from stories and fairy tales. Music inspires me and some of my dolls have been inspired by songs. Don’t be afraid of being inspired.

So what do you do if you have been wrongfully accused of copying? Well the best advice I can give is not to act in retaliation or anger. It is very hard not too, but try. Gather all the evidence you can of your works creation date and seek the advice of an attorney. Most attorneys will give you an initial consultation for free. File for a legal copyright. If you have received a DMCA take down notice or have had your blog or site shut down because of it, submit the counter notice with proof that your work is your own. Again, if you are sure you have done no wrong, then seek legal counsel and get prepared for a fight. I truly believe that TRUTH will always prevail.

The attorney asked if we wanted to pursue legal action for libel defamation (free speech only extends so far) and if we have had any loss of business because of this.

My answer was no, to both questions.

Tim may disagree with my answer but I am just not that type of person to sue someone for talking smack. First of all, I can feel my accuser’s pain. It must be terrible to feel as if people are copying you all the time. After looking at her work over a couple of days, I think she is very talented and has a quite a unique style. I think my style is completely different and that is a good thing.

Secondly, I have never been one for mud slinging and soap opera drama. I am crazy enough without having to get mixed up in that. It is the reason I got out of the eBay groups long ago. (Oh, to the person who said they removed me from their eBay group, I haven’t been in any for about 4 years now, but thank you, if I somehow missed removing myself from one)

Lastly, I do not think it has hurt the business. The doll in question was first shown at a show in September 2009 (I said shown –not sold...and yes we have proof), brought home where she sat for about 5 or 6 months still packed up from the show. Tim says as best he can remember he added her to the website in March or April of 2010. She sold the Sunday after the copying story was posted. So no, I do not think it has hurt the business.

Although we received some very nasty emails, we also received many, many, very nice ones. We have gained many new customers and met some very nice and very talented artists that we didn’t know before. It has also shown us who the wolves in sheep’s clothing are.

As our local customers know, last year we did almost nothing new as my Dad got sick early in the year and then I got really sick myself. I am still fighting to stay healthy and do SOMETHING.

I have been in a slump not wanting to do anything, but this incident has energized me to start sketching, and planning and sewing. It gives me an incentive to work through the pain and weakness.

I want to say THANK YOU to everyone who has emailed or called. This old gal has learned a lesson, but it probably isn’t the one my accuser had hoped for.

Blessings,

It's Been a while...A "MEME" repost

2011-02-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

Hello Blogging World,

It has been such a long time since I lasted posted anything and for that I apologise. It is not that I haven't had anything to say, but as you all know, Life sometimes gets in the way of the best laid plans. In fact, over the last couple of weeks, I have had a lot to say and have had to clamp my hand over my mouth to keep from letting my tongue start wagging. In the end, I am glad I did because I believe the truth will always win out over falsehoods...even if it takes a long time. With that being said, I wondered how I could get back in to my blog and was reading over some old posts and found my answer.

My friend Lex of tagged me with this 6 Word Memoir "MEME" back in 2008 and after reading over it I thought I would share this again as it still holds true for me.

You have to pick six (6) words that sum up your life. I guess it is kind of like writing your own obit that you would like to have read at your funeral! Morbid thought, isn't it? Ernest Hemingway was bet $10 that he couldn't sum up his life in six words. He won that bet when he wrote, "For sale, baby shoes, never worn." You can go to Bookbabie's blog and read about the book that was inspired by his quote and how it influenced her to start this meme. (Please don't ask me where to find BookBabie, since I haven't been able to find it myself--just repeating what was told to me) --UPDATE ---I finally found the post references and it is here -
http://bookbabie.wordpress.com/2008/02/18/6-word-memior-meme/

So, here is the low down if you get tagged this go round...
1. Write your own six word memoir...
2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like...
3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post and to this original post if possible, so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere...
4. Tag Four more blogs with links ...
5. Remember to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play!

I'll give you my list of bloggers a bit later, so read on! Anyway, here is my 6 word memoir!

Crazy, Beautiful, Diverse, Forgiving, Multi-Talented, Mommy! This is how I want my life to be remembered. It is how I see myself.

For those of you that know me, Crazy is an understatement really, but it would take way more than six words just to go into that side of my personality.

Beautiful--yes, I said beautiful! Not that I am all of that in the looks department. The crows are starting to trample my eyelids every night, so hag would have been better at describing my looks. LOL! I hope that others see the beauty that is on the inside though. I try to see beauty in everyone, no matter how hidden it might be. I want other's to see that in me also. The old adage "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" is so true. I look at the ugly duckling's sparse gray down and see the beautiful swan hidden inside.

Diverse is a small way to describe my personality, my talents, my interests, and all most all aspects of my life. I love diversity.

Forgiving is the most difficult thing I claim to be. It is something I work on all the time. I try to look at each person I meet and see the face of God. I try to see past all the faults with the world and humanity and let God move through me to accept and forgive. It is not always easy, but I try!

Multi-talented, multi-faceted, and multi-tasking would be my life in a nutshell. I love learning and absorb everything I possibly can. Normally, I have several irons in the fire at one time.

Mommy! Many would look at this and think, well she has kids. That is true! But Mommy is so much more than just having kids. Mommy is my frame of mind. I guess, when it comes right down to it, without the Mommy part, none of the other words would matter. My life would have been just a series of events leading eventually to my demise. But when you add Mommy to it, those series of events, have meaning and depth. Mommy gives me a legacy that continues well after I am gone and leaves my fingerprints and the 5 other words for generations to carry on.

Now for this new post, here are the "lucky" bloggers that I am throwing this "meme" to-

Linda ~ Linda Pinda Designs

Shirley ~ Dumplinragamuffin

Bev ~ Heartland Creations

A Stuffed Life

Ladies, I can't wait to see what you will come up with!

For those of you who are asking what the %$&* is a "Meme"? Please check out this link-

What the %$&* is a Meme?

Blessings,

B

New Graphic Items on Off The Beaten Path Designs

2009-07-19T20:45:00.000-04:00

Hey All, Tim just wanted me to pop on an announce the new graphic items we have on Off The Beaten Path Designs.

We are now offering mouse drawn clip art graphics and have some great packages available.

Just click on the photos to go see...

Be sure to check back every once in a while to see all the new goodies
we will be working on. It is getting that time of year that we start working on Halloween items.

Our local festival / show is just around the corner and we are busy making new items for that as well.

Although I love Christmas, the spooky items are my favorites..

Be sure to check out http://www.oldprimitivesisters.com/ also as our prim sisters have been working up a storm and really have some awesome items for sale right now.

Until next time,

Back In the Saddle Again, but For Long???

2009-06-29T15:39:00.000-04:00

It has been over a year since I posted on my blog. I just can't believe how time flies now days.

It must be my age! The older I get the faster that old clock moves. Remember when you were a kid and summer vacation lasted forever? Or remember how long your 17th year took? I bet you thought your 18th birthday would never arrive. I think it happens somewhere around 35 that the hands on the clock start moving faster and the days never seem long enough.

A lot has happened for the family and business over the past year. Our oldest son graduated from high school with honors and will be attending Eastern Kentucky University in the fall. I can't begin to say how very proud we are of him. He of course will still be helping out with the business when needed.

We began hosting websites as well as doing graphics late last year. Our new hosting site is http://www.soezwebdesign.com/ If you need affordable do it yourself type hosting, please check us out.

We moved Off The Beaten Path Designs to our own hosting and gave it an updated look. We still have all the types of things we had before. My health has been very poor and I haven't been able to sew much and with Tim running the business he hasn't had much time either so our Doll inventory is down. We hope to improve on that in the next coming months.

We do have some new web graphics and will be adding more auction templates as well. When you have a minute hop over to http://www.offthebeatenpathdesigns.com/ and peek at the new design and products.

We moved Olde Primitive Sisters Online Marketplace to our hosting as well and changed the format and look completely. We still have great vendors who offer their wonderful products and we have added some new vendors. All of them are so talented in what ever craft or art that they and I am always amazed at their offerings. Please drop by there and see what the gals have listed, I know you will just love it. If you are an artist or crafter looking for a reasonable place to sell your wares without having a full blown website, please stop in and check out what we can do for you. http://www.oldprimitivesisters.com/

I don't know how my health situation will go back hopefully I can chat a bit more frequently and keep this blog updated more.

To close I wanted to give you a preview of some things we have listed on Off The Beaten Path Designs. Just click the pic to be taken directly to the item.

New Web Set

Instant Printable - a you print gift cone box with recipe

Hard Times, Rough Times and New Times

2008-06-18T17:14:00.000-04:00

WOW! I can't believe that it has been a month since I last popped in to say hey!

My only excuse is on going health issues and my kiddos are out of school. Blue my little "Rainman" has had a really rough time to the disruption to his schedule.

I have had very little time to work on new items-either dolls or graphics and plan on setting my nose to the grind stone in the upcoming weeks.

I have added several auction template to my template pages on the website.

You can see all of them Here!

This is one of the logos and I really like it

If you have a store on ETSY and need a banner I have also listed a few new banners. You can see them Here!

Be sure to check back every once in a while to see all the new goodies
I will be working on. It is getting that time of year that I start working on Halloween items.

Although I love Christmas, the spooky items are my favorite to work on. Maybe I have a little witch in me.

Until next time,

Stars and Stripes--The Olde Primitive Sister's Vendor Challenge!

2008-05-16T12:46:00.000-04:00

I just have to drop in and say that I am amazed again by the talent over at Olde Primitive Sister's Online Marketplace!

We had eight vendors participate in the Stars and Stripes challenge and once again the ladies have come through with some wonderful primitive creations to honor Memorial Day!

Here is my Old Sammy Crow that I created for the challenge!

You can click the picture to visit the listing!

Be sure to check out all the gorgeous Primitive Creations in the slide show below and vote HERE for your favorite in our poll.

Click on the pic to visit the listing!

Let us all take a moment this Memorial Day Season to remember those that have served and paid the ultimate sacrifice for our Freedom and those that continue to serve!

Blessings,

Bebe

Exciting Challenge on Olde Primitive Sister's Online Marketplace

2008-05-13T09:22:00.000-04:00

WOW! WOW! WOW!
I can not believe how time flies! Where does it go? I haven't a clue because it never seems as if I have enough of it to get everything done that I want to get done.

I wanted to drop in on the blogoshere and let all of you surfers out there know that we have a great Vendor challenge going on over on Olde Primitive Sister's Online Marketplace. There should be some awesome creations emerge from this challenge and best of all, they will be offered for sale and the customers can vote on which they think is the best. The challenge is in honor of Memorial Day an is entitled "Stars and Stripes". The vendors were instructed to create something star themed in line with Memorial Day! Be sure to mark it on your calendar--May 15th becuase I am sure everyone will be impressed with what the "Sisters" come up with.

I have been working around my house trying to get it cleaned before Spring passes me by. It is a never ending chore. In between cleaning, I had one of my great customers ask if I could create some u print tags for her, which I did. I am now offering them in PDF format ready to print out on my web site. You can hop on over to Off The Beaten Path Designs to see all the sets and the enlarged view. The set of six shown below has three different images and will measure approx. 2" by 4" when cut. Images are my own copy righted mouse drawn graphics and are for printing only and can not be used in web or digital projects.

Click here to purchase $2.50 Instant Download

Of course the downloaded PDF file doesn't have Sample writen across them. LOL!

Until the 15th, Toodle Doo!
Bebe

So Much to Say, So Little Time!

2008-04-18T23:23:00.000-04:00

Hi folks,
Wow, how time flies, even if you are not having fun! I am way behind on my blogging and have a ton of things to catch up on.

First, I was so honored that Sondra from Whimsy Stitches sent me this Special Artist Award!

I am tickled pink with it! It is especially nice coming from such a truly gifted and talented artist such as Sondra! Thanks so much, my friend, for honoring me with this award!

Now I would like to bestow the gift of this award to another wonderful artist, Linda of Linda Pinda Designs. She creates just awesome primitive graphics and deserves an award such as this.

Next, I just finished moving my "A Man Outstanding In His Field" piece to the Olde Primitive Sister's Online Market Place! You can click the photo to visit the listing.

This was one of my all time favorite creations and the most difficult for me to work on for a variety of reasons.

I also have new websets listed on my website and on DIYestores.com
Below are a couple of the sets on my site- Off The Beaten Path Designs

I was also tagged with a meme tag. I will have to think on that one and get back to you on that though. Six words that most describe me??? The only one I am sure of at this point is CRAZY!

I hope all of you out there in cyberland have a peaceful and restful evening!

Pray for our soldiers, our country, and our children!

Blessings,

The Special Friendship Award Tag!

2008-04-11T11:07:00.000-04:00

Morning folks!

Yesterday, I had the great honor of being "Tagged" with a Special Friendship Award from Deb of Willowtree Treasures.

It seems my job now is to accept the award and pass it on to another of my deserving friends. First, let me say I was shocked to even get the award. LOL!

You see, most of those who I consider my bestest friends, I have never seen face to face. Sitting here in my home, nestled between four hills in the middle of nowhere, I am mostly cut off from the outside world. The closest house is about three miles away as a crow flies and the people living there are family. Not that I do not consider them friends as well, but I didn't get to choose them. Family is thrust upon you by God and Fate and you love them regardless of weather you like them or not.

Friends are different and special! They are the persons that come into your life by whatever means (even blips on a computer screen) and touch the very heart of who you are. You have a choice to hold them close and nourish the relationship or shut the door because you just don't mesh. You choose love them because you like them. They compliment and sometimes even challenge you you are. LOL! I have one dear friend with whom I argue about everything. We love to debate even the smallest details. At times, I agree with her totally, but will still take the opposite view, just get her going! I am sure she does the same with me.

Now Deb, who sent the Friendship Award to me is one of those people who you just can't help but like. She is a FRIEND to everyone. Never a harsh word escapes her, and if it did, she would instantly be apologising! LOL! She is one of the most understanding and caring persons, I have been blessed to meet. Deb, I may not say it enough, but I am so thankful to have met you. Thank you my friend also, for passing the award to me and all the truly wonderful words you had for me!

Now I am in a quandary on who should I pass this Special Friendship Award onto. It is not the that I don't have many choices---THAT IS THE PROBLEM. How can I choose just one???

Well I guess I am just going to break the rules and choose more than one!
My first Special Friend Award goes to Jane of Jane of Ark Designs. Jane is such a talented woman who juggles a family, crafting, and career, yet still has time to check on her friends. We live a thousand miles apart but I know I can count on her to always lift my spirit or offer a helping hand. Jane, I just want to say, You Inspire Me! Now I know Jane doesn't have a blog yet, (we are still trying to nudge her into creating one) but she certainly deserves my Special Friend Award! The torch is yours my friend!

My next Special Friend Award goes to Lelsie of Primitive By The Hollow. Leslie has a great talent in the primitive field. I absolutely love her creations. I consider her a great friend as well! She is always ready with helpful advice to anyone who needs it, or a cyber hug or smile if the situation calls for it. She is courageous, caring and has a great sense of humor. Leslie, I am proud to call you FRIEND! I hope you enjoy the Special Friend Award I am sending your way and find someone equally deserving to pass it on to!

Lastly, I want to share a poem that says much about my friendships. I did not write it, but found the author's words so true! I hope you enjoy it as well!

Friends Without Faces

We sit and we type and we stare at our screens,

We can't help but wonder what all of this means.

With mouse in hand ...we roam through this maze,

On an infinite search...lost in a daze.

We chat with each other, we type all our woes,

At times we'll band together to gang up on our foes.

We wait for somebody, to type out our name,

We want recognition, but it is always the same.

Soon friendships are formed - but - why we don't know,

But some of these friendships, will flourish and grow.

We give kisses and hugs, and sometimes we'll flirt,

In IMs we chat deeply, and reveal why we hurt.

Why is it on screen, we are so easily bold,

Telling our secrets, that have never been told.

The answer is simple, it is as clear as a bell,

We all have our problems, and need someone to tell.

We can't tell real people, but tell someone we must

So we turn to our 'puters ...and to those we can trust.

Even though it sounds crazy...the truth still remains,

Most of my "friends" have no faces...and odd little names

~Rusty Black, ©1996

2008-04-09T12:08:00.000-04:00

How Do Folks!
I thought I would hang out here and chat for a bit. I have a freebie for you as well so read on!
Not much happening in my neck of the woods. We had a flash flood last week and it washed a couple of bridges out on our driveway. We have been busy trying to get that repaired so we can get out of the sticks if we need to.
One of our hens has gone to setting so we will have baby chicks here in a few weeks. The kids always get a kick out of watching the hatching. I will post some pics, if I can catch the event. It is almost sheep shearing time too. I am not looking forward to that and there will be no pictures of me trying to wrangle the sheep. LOL!
I do love spring time! Everything is blooming and all the critters are having little ones. Turkey season is almost here and the gobblers are strutting around taunting us. Actually they are striking a pose to impress the hens, but all that strutting sure taunts us as well. LOL! I also have fishing fever. I have only been once so far this year, but the blue gill are already biting. I can't wait to have a nice big bunch of fresh fish to fry up. Yum!
With all the rain and everything blooming my allergies have kicked into high gear which in turn leads to some serious headaches. Yuck! I have managed to get a few things done. Mostly I have worked on graphics. I have a couple of new web sets up on my web site and should have a couple new ones listed over at DIYestores as well.
You can see them full frame by clicking on the thumb shots below.

Are you still reading? Well I thought I would offer a freebie on here. It is not much but if you like the prim hang tags, this is nice. You can click on the photo and download a zipped file with the hang tag graphic and another surprise graphic. I hope you enjoy them! They are created from my original mouse drawn art work and are not to be resold as they are but you can use them along with your prim wares for sale or for your personal use.

Now as Elmer Fud always says, That's all folks!

Blessings,

Checkin' In and Chillin' Out

2008-04-02T19:44:00.000-04:00

Howdy Folks,
Thought I would drop in share the latest with you. I have been busy finishing up local orders here. The Kentucky Derby is coming up in May and I am bombarded with people wanting my little stick hobby horses and then the bigger stick horses for the stick horse races that are held locally. It's good for me.
I wish spring would hurry up and arrive in my neck of the woods. The sun was out today and it was so pretty and soooo deceiving. The wind was blowing and it was cold! Too cold to let the kids out to play for long. I am sure I will be complaining about the heat before too long so maybe I'll just hush about the cold! LOL!
I have a Patriotic Kitty listed on Olde Primitive Sister's Online Marketplace. You can visit her by clicking on her picture.

Well, I guess, I had better get my tail up from this chair and wash the dinner dishes. The meatloaf was yummy, but I sure hate the clean up. It is also the kiddo's bed time and they still haven't had their baths. The night is still young with much to do!

Love until the next time!

Pssst, Have you heard the news?

2008-03-30T16:11:00.000-04:00

Good Day Folks!
As my title implies, I have news to share. Sharing it secretly seems the only way the word is going to be spread too! What is she blabbering on about, you ask?

Well, I am referring to the latest "improvements" that the eBay executive's are putting into place, effective March 31st. This change is going to affect hundreds, if not thousands of eBay sellers and some still do not know about it. The one's that do know have found out by someone going "Psst! Have you heard the latest?".

Thats right! No Mass emails letting their sellers know that on March 31st all digital listings in auction format, buy it now format, and store format will be in violation of the new policy and cancelled. What we did get, was a memo style note buried on the announcement board.

This change has effectively put me as well as most of my eBay seller friends out of business on eBay. I am talking about legitimate sellers too--not those trying to scam buyers out of a buck to increase their feedback. My friends and I offered real products like primitive e patterns delivered by automatic download or email, or web graphics and auction templates. All those selling any type of e books with recipes are gone too.

Up until recently, I was an avid eBay supporter, both as a buyer and as a seller. Not anymore. Lately, it has been more of a love, hate relationship, that has now ended in divorce.
For all of you that buy from eBay, if your favorite sellers disappear, start searching the web for them. EBay has forced many of us else where with all the new policy changes that supposedly protect the buyer. I guess that it is protection in a way. If you can't find any sellers then you can't buy anything, thus you are protected.

I am participating in the May boycott (neither buying or selling) and really have no plans to sell anything on eBay ever again!

Thanks for listening to all my ramblings about eBay.

I do have a couple new auction templates listed on my website. they work with several auction sites, not just eBay.

Below is a thumbnail preview of the template. You can click the link to visit my web site where I have it available.

I also want to invite you to visit one of my friends website. She is also trying to move from the eBay choke hold. Leslie is a great gal who does awesome work. If you see something you must have from her, tell her Bebe sent ya!

Dipping my toes into the blogging pool! Is the water cold?

2008-03-29T11:17:00.000-04:00

Good Day to All!

This is my very first entry into the blogging pool. I am a chicken and always wait for others to "test the waters" so to speak before I dip my toes into the pool. LOL! I see so many of my prim friends having fun, splashing around in the blogs that I thought it was time to dive in head first.

So where to begin? I have no idea! I mentioned to Lex, of NorthWind Star a month or so ago, that I just wasn't that interesting and couldn't imagine anyone being interested in reading about me plucking a chicken for dinner that night. OF course that got a good chuckle from her.

So I guess, my blogging days will consist of some of my daily routines, the chalenges and rewards of living and loving an autistic child, my rants over my frustrations with different things and my newest creations or those of my firends.

The world wide web has become the vehicle in which I now drive to visit with friends. I have made so many and consider some my family. I hope to introduce them to you and hope to meet many more onliners to add to my friends list.

Until tomorrow~