RJ Design Hut

Is Mysticwynd Blowing Your Way?

2011-03-10T17:37:00.000-08:00

Chances are good you are a blog reader of Mysticwynd or a follower if you've ever belonged either of the most popular bloger teams on Etsy, BESTeam and EtsyBloggers. Karen, a leader, writer and team player has a wonderfully written and witty blog. I found the very first entry on her blog:

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Welcome to my little piece of blog heaven! I hope you will find my musings entertaining, thought provoking, informative, and addicting! Be sure to come back often both to read and to check out some of my favorite handmade things as I will be featuring some of my favorite items from a variety of handmade sites -including my shop at Etsy (http://www.mysticwynd.etsy.com )

She's been true to her words, providing her blog readers thoughtful wisdom while promoting handmade crafts wholeheartedly.

Her shop of the same name on Etsy offers a wide variety of jewelry - eclectic, distinctive, and often one of a kind. You're sure to find something for your needs among her handcrafted artisan necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings, accessories, and gift items.

Today I want to show you some of my favorite pieces from her shop.

Blue Green Foiled Glass Bead Bracelet - Fantastic Foil

Pink Rose Floral Glass w Pearl Necklace - Claire

Sterling Silver Gilded Seashell Necklace - Siren's Song

Turquoise Enchantment - Necklace, Bracelet, and Earrings

Karen is an active member of the Etsy community and enjoys promoting many of the wonderful Etsy shops. She also loves to share her thoughts and ideas about life and the world around us. If you have any questions, feel free to contact her through her blog.

Today I'm going to post this feature on both of my blogs, RJ Design Hut and Etsy's Got Talent. Feel free to leave a comment. Contact me if you'd like to be featured on my blogs.

Etsy's Got Talent is Here!

2011-02-27T16:54:00.000-08:00

Yes, Etsy's Got Talent has finally arrived. The grand winner is going to win a million dollars at the end of the season. Just joking!!! My new blog 'Etsy's Got Talent' is up and running though. In short I call it EGT. It can be accessed both at http://www.etsysgottalent.com/ and http://www.etsysgottalent.blogspot.com/.

Why did I start another blog? The reason is simple. I want to construct a shop directory of the best shops for Etsy shoppers and lovers. I call it the unofficial Etsy shop directory, an alternative way to shop Etsy. More categories are going to be added and refined on a regular basis. I've been working very hard on all the graphics I use on the blog. Shop and artist features are soon to follow. It's a growing process and I'm planning to add many more fun features to EGT.

It's a daunting task by any standard. It will take me a long time and a great deal of work to reach that goal. And of course I can't do it without help. I'm asking my blog readers to pitch in.

Here is how you can help:

♥ *Contact me if you want to be added to the directory (if you're a seller on Etsy) or when you discover new shops and I'll add it to the directory

♥ Promote EGT your own way, blog it, share it, tweet it... Send me feedback when you can so I'm aware of your effort

♥ Follow EGT and leave comments when you see something you're interested in

Please let me know what you think by leaving a comment.

Let's start discovering!

* Shops in EGT's directory are subject to approval at this point. Click here to see my full disclaimer.

Etsy Lovers: How Much Do You Really Know about Etsy?

2011-02-26T15:40:00.000-08:00

http://www.weddingbycolor.com/acowleysoontobe

Hello to all Etsy lovers! How much do you really know about Etsy? Have you ever tried to find out? I did and found many interesting facts. I had no idea before I went searching. I really had fun collecting all the information. Thanks to Wikipedia, which contributed to most of my success.

Please leave me a comment if you know any other fun facts of etsy. I'll be glad to add it to the list.

1. Etsy was launched on June 18, 2005.

2. Etsy is pronounced like Betsy, without the B of course.

3. Etsy was founded by iospace, a small company composed of Robert Kalin, Chris Maguire and Haim Schoppik.

4. Etsy was named for Rob’s maternal grandmother.

5. Jared Tarbell programmed all the flash features that make Etsy so beautiful.

6. There are no auctions on Etsy, only fixed price sales.

7. Etsy is popular as a side-businessas well as a place to buy goods made from recycled and upcycled materials, along with less expensive or more unusual versions of mass-produced items

8. Along with handmade products, people on Etsy sell vintage items, homemade sweets, and craft supplies.

9. Etsy is one of the main members of the Handmade Consortium, a 2007 effort to encourage buying handmade holiday gifts.

10. In April 2009, users organized an "etsyday" promotion on Twitter that brought extra attention to the site.

11. As of May 2009, it has approximately 60 employees and sales of $10 to 13 million per month.

12. In December 2010, Etsy said it had seven million registered users and $400 million in transactions for the year.

13. The average sale on Etsy is about $15 to $20 and mostly sold by women, who tend to be college-educated and in their twenties and thirties.

14. There is no charge to join Etsy. If you wish to sell here, we charge you only 20¢ to list an item, and take only 3.5% commission from each sale.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/rjdesignhut

My Blog is One Month Old!!!

2011-02-20T22:09:00.000-08:00

Time has flown by since I started my blog. It's been a very good month: 20 blogs, 762 views from 10 different countries, 18 followers at this moment... A terrific start for a newbie! I want to thank everybody who has helped me grow along the way: my readers, my followers, my etsy team members...

A special thank goes to my etsy BESTeam captain, Karen (Mysticwynd). She has been such a good mentor for me and I've learned so much from her. She is a firm believer that we should always strive to do just a little better than our personal best - and that you should never expect something for nothing. Please take a moment to read one of her most recent blogs.

Sunday Afternoon Reflections 02.13.11 Promise Yourself

Now it's time for some fun stuff I discovered on etsy. You may find some of them a little different. That's totally fine. They can be fun and different at the same time, right? I had fun finding these and I hope you will too.

Handmade Gift Hang Tags - WEIRD FISHES Mix (set of 5)

And this one is for cat lovers!

Cat Print Mini Wallet

Here is a fun idea for your bathroom...

Vinyl decal The Outhousehttp

I think this puzzle is a great keepsake for newly weds.

Wood Wedding Puzzle (guest book)

Okay, I admit, this one is a little more different, funny though.

Now the sheep soap is really cute.

And I love these handmade bowls.

Goldilocks bowl set medium

I hope you enjoyed my fun finds on etsy. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below or by clicking 'Contact' on the menu bar.

How to Change Blog Width in Blogger

2011-02-19T16:05:00.000-08:00

The first thing I did when I set up my blog was to change the width. Changing the width of your Blog will gain you some needed space for your widgets, pictures, ads, etc. or give you more room for your article, so you can place larger and wider photographs. I also added a third column myself.

The standard width of your blog in Blogger is 660 px. You can change it to a maximum of 1000 px if you're using Blogger Template Designer.

1. Go to your Blogger Dashboard and click 'Design'

2. Click 'Template Designer'

3. Click 'Adjust Width'

4. Change 'Entire Blog' to 1000 px

5. Change both side bars to your desired width (I changed both to 230 px for my blog)

6. Click 'APPLY TO BLOG' before you exit the page

If you don't use a blogger template, please check out the articles below to find our how to edit html to modify the width of your blog.
Related articles on the web:

✎ How to Change Blog Width in Blogger

✎ How to Change Blogger Blog Width

✎ Change the Width of Your Blog - Make the Blog Wider

How do I have my Links Open In New Windows on my blog?

2011-02-19T12:33:00.000-08:00

If you reference a lot of links to other blogs or websites like I do, you may want to have these links open in new windows. By doing this, it makes it convenient for your readers to view other web pages then return to your blog.You can also do the same with pictures that have links. Some experts think differently on opening links in new windows, please use your own judgement on what to do.

You can actually make all links within your blog open in a new window. Simply add a "<base target='_blank' />" to your blog, in the header.

Find
<head>

And change that to:
<head>
<base target='_blank' />

But please do this with discretion, especially if you have lots of links within your blog. You don't want your readers having to close a window each time they finish reading a linked article in your blog.

I usually code links to other websites or blogs individually so they open in new windows. If it's a link to my own content within my blog, I simply leave it alone.

Here is how you code a link to open in a new window.

Below is a link that's going to open in the same window.

My Shop
Here is the source code for it.
<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/rjdesignhut%22%3EMy Shop</a>

Here is a link that's going to open in a new window.

My Shop
Now check out what's different here.
<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/rjdesignhut" target="_blank">My Shop</a>

It's so easy! I couldn't believe it myself the first time I did it.

It's the same with pictures.

Below is a picture with a link that's going to open in the same window.

Now add the highlighted part and the picture will open in a new window.

Now here is a tip for you while you're browsing on the web. If you use Internet Explorer, right click on a link, by choosing between Open, Open in New Tab (older version of IE doesn't have this option) and Open in New Windows. You're totally in control how a new page will open, so don't forget to right click. When everything else fails, right click.

If you're still unsure whether you should have your links open in new windows, please check out some of the articles I found on the web.

✎ Beware of opening links in a new window

✎ Should Links Open in New Windows?

✎ Offsite Links on Your Website - Should They Open in New Windows?

The Pendant Studio - Let's Get Personalized!

2011-02-18T17:06:00.000-08:00

I'm always drawn to jewelry that's been personalized, either with a family photo or initials. Personalized jewelry makes me feel special because I know it was made just for me.

Who wouldn't want something that's personalized just for them, one of a kind jewelry or a keepsake. That's what the Pendant Studio is all about. Of course there are also plenty of non-personalized ready to ship items for you to choose from.

Aimee, a full time Crafter and part-time Groundskeeper is the artist who makes these great pendants and charms. She started crafting when she was little. She says it's in her blood. She also loves to paint, working with mixed medias, card making, and playing with solder and glass.

Check out this Pandora Style Customized Photo Bead Charm. Simply email her the photos and she will turn them into a little memory for you to wear.

Pandora Style Customized Photo Bead Charm by the Pendant Studio

And for people who have kids, these Custom Stick Kids soldered pendants are so much fun. You can pick any of these designs and turn them into your favorite pendants. Her glass tile pendants are soldered together with 4% silver, lead free solder, all by hand, so each piece is unique.

Pick Your Kids stick kids custom soldered glass tile pendant

Be sure to check out her collection of ready to ship soldered pendants.

Soldered Pendants

Now are you ready to get personalized?

Fill Your Home with Love

2011-02-14T18:52:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day! A bit late but nonetheless a sincere one. To all the love birds, I hope your home is filled with love. I just curated a treasury to give you some ideas on what you could use to fill your home with love, literally...

I've met people who got married or got engaged on Valentine's Day. A good idea on one hand, your husband will never forget the anniversary. On the other hand, good luck making a reservation at your favorite restaurant...

For those who got engaged on Valentine's Day, congratulations! Maybe the big day is not far away. Have a summer wedding in mind? Check out this lovely treasury for some ideas.

Good night!

Llama Love

2011-02-12T21:05:00.000-08:00

I fell in love with llamas on a trip to Chile with my husband. We passed numerous llamas farms on the road. With lush pastures, temperate California climate, these Chilean llamas seemed to be very happy. I regret so much that I didn't get any pictures of them. Sigh.

I did get a little ceramic llama to help me remember them and the beautiful country.

And sorry, he is not for sale. He is too precious to me.

I was taking pictures of a couple freshwater pearl bracelets I made today and my little llama became part of my photo shoot. Thanks to his help, I just finished posting the bracelets in my shop on etsy.

Feeling inspired, I started searching on etsy and I found some lovely llama items I absolutely adore.

By Hells Sewing Circle

By Tastes or Angey

By Kelly D Brown

Liz, a friend I met not too long ago, actually owns a llama farm. In 1990, in search of a new life-style and a larger, more affordable "farm", her husband Allen and Liz moved from the island of Maui to beautiful southern Oregon. They also brought all their critters with them, including their dogs, cats and birds from Hawaii. Slowly they added chickens, dairy goats and llamas to their growing family farm which they named Bolt Mountain Farm.

Adorable llamas at Bolt Mountain Farm

They also offer a complete line of soap and body products made from fresh goat milk on their website:

http://www.bmfgoatmilksoap.com/

Using only fresh, whole, hormone and antibiotic free milk, from their happy and healthy Nubian goats, along with other natural ingredients, they've developed soap and body products that have the skin nurturing, moisturizing and healing properties of fresh milk.

Without very little advertising their soap was almost sold out after the holiday season last year. It's the down to earth wholesomeness of their products that brings their customers back time and again. Purely word of mouth! Now they sell their soap to places as far away as Japan. A group of Japanese ladies have become their loyal customers.

Let's meet part of her production crew here.

Aren't they adorable! I guess it's time to say good-bye for today. We can talk about goats some other day! Ok, just kidding. Thank you for reading my blog. Good night!

Blogging for Bliss

2011-02-10T20:40:00.000-08:00

I just ordered a beautiful book, 'Blogging for Bliss' on bn.com and I can't wait for it to come. The book was written by Tara Frey, a contributing editor to several national magazines. I'm sure I'll benefit from the information provided.

'Blogging for Bliss: Crafting Your Own Online Journal' is Tara's first book. It was released in August of 2009 by Lark Books and it was the first book of its kind in the Crafts & Hobbies section which reached #1 on Amazon upon it's release. The book has now gone international to Canada, Australia, and the UK.

Sounds impressive! And I can't believe it's only $6.71!!!

I love her blog. Here is just a snapshot of her artistic and heart warming style.

Tara Frey: Typing out Loud

Here is what one reader said about this book:

'Blogging for Bliss is not only for the beginner blogger but for the advanced as well. As a crafter, this book is just what I needed. It's beautiful, inspiring, yet informative at the same time. And I love the bloggers featured throughout the book. It's interesting to see what blogs they read and what inspires them. I highly recommend this book for beginners to experts in the creative blogging world!'

-----✂----------------------------------------------------------

I'll let you know what I think when I receive the book. Stay tuned!

Crafted with Love

2011-02-08T22:06:00.000-08:00

As a BESTeam member, I'm going to start my weekly feature on my talented team members starting today. They're a very energetic bunch. Stay tuned for more to come every week.

-----✄--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Crafted Love is a fresh etsy shop you don't want to miss.

Alison Kaye, an energetic young architecture/graphic student from a small town in Ohio is behind these beautiful headbands and barrettes for women and little girls.

Tiffany Blue Satin Rosette Hair Clip

Double Black Silk Flower Barrett

Set of Two Baby Blue Rosette Bobby Pins

My personal favorites are these gorgeous shoe clips. They can dress up any of your plain looking shoes and give them new life. What a great idea!

Set of Black Satin Floral Shoe Clips

Alison is a full time design student and part time graphic designer currently. Her lifestyle blog focues on her crafts, DIY projects, and creative inspiration. She blogs about all sorts of things, but you'll see her main features, Etsy Must Haves, and Thursday Treasures almost every week.

Visit Alison's blog if you want to find out more about her.

http://www.craftedlove.com/

She has a fun and engaging blog and I'm sure you're not going to be disappointed. And be sure to check out these fun facts of her.

24 Things Before 25
100 Little Somethings [1-25]

A Question or Two...

What's in My Bag?

Tutorial: How to Make a Chinese Jade/Stone Bracelet with a Sliding Extender - It's so easy! (Part 2)

2011-02-07T22:13:00.000-08:00

Now the real fun begins! It may be a little bit challenging for some people but I know you can do it if you put your heart into it.

The sliding extender is basically a flat knot in Chinese knotting terms. Having a pair of cords in the center is the most versatile form when it comes to bracelet and necklace making. The center cords are known as 'lazy' cords. Now we're going to use the leftover cords from the bracelet you've been working on as the lazy cords. Lay the two ends of the cord parallel to each other but pointing in opposite directions. Please see the picture of the finished bracelet below.

I usually tie the flat knot before I tie the last two small beads in place. That way I can decide on how long I want the two little 'tails' to be. When the bracelet is fully closed, the tails are about 1" long. It's your preference whether you have them longer or shorter.

Now cut two 10 - 12" cords. In order to show the process more clearly, I have three different colored cords here.

The flat knot consists of two overhand knots: the first is worked left over right, around the lazy cords: and the second is worked right over left, also around the lazy cords.

Tighten the cords as you go and make sure they're tight before you go to the next step. Repeat step 2 and 3 until you have 3/4" to 1" in length. First, cut off the extra cord from one of the four ends with a pair of scissors, leaving only about 1/8" in length. Seal that end with a candle flame and press it flat. Repeat the same process for the rest of the three cords. Please see the finished knot below

Now pull the two center cords away from each other until the bracelet is fully closed. Tie a knot about 1" away from the flat knot. Add one of the two 6mm beads and tie another knot on the other side of the bead to hold it in place. Seal the end. Finish the other end in the same way.

Now you have a finished bracelet you made yourself. If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to ask.

If you want to try this but don't have the supplies, I have a bracelet kit available in my etsy shop now. Your supplies are for two adult-size bracelets and will arrive in a beautiful organza bag. You can keep your very own handmade bracelets in it after you're done.

For more information about this kit, click on the link below.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/67601457/chinese-knotted-jade-bracelet-with

Tutorial: How to Make a Chinese Jade/Stone Bracelet with a Sliding Extender - It's so easy! (Part 1)

2011-02-06T19:15:00.000-08:00

I bought a book on Chinese knots by Suzen Millodot several years ago. It was a well-written book and very easy to follow. I've mastered some of the knots myself.

Utilizing what I've learned, I created some of my own pieces. I'm going to show you one of my favorite projects. Whether you create these fun bracelets for kids or adults, the idea is the same.

Everything you'll need is in the picture below, almost everything anyway. You'll also need matches or a lighter.

Materials you'll need for making the bracelet:

1. Sixteen to twenty-two 8mm jade beads or other stone beads (Of course it's totally up to you how many beads or what size beads you use. Make sure the cord you use go through the holes of your beads fairly easily. Sixteen 8mm beads will make a kid size bracelet of about 5-1/2" and you can make a bracelet of about 7-1/2" with twenty-two 8mm beads including the extentder)
2. Two 6 mm jade beads or other stone beads
3. 4' satin cord (this gives you extra to spare)

Tools you'll need:

1. Headpin

2. Scissors
2. Candle
3. Matches or lighter

Cut 20" to 2' satin cord first and tie a knot at about 5" to 6" from one end of the cord. Light your candle first and put the other end of the cord (the end without the knot) into the flame for a couple seconds or until you see that the cord has just started to melt. Immediately pull the cord away from the flame and form a sharp end. Please see the picture below.

Pull the sharp end of the cord through an 8mm bead and pull it against that first knot. Use a headpin to help push the cord through the bead if necessary.

Now it's time to tie the second knot. Please follow the pictures shown below to find out how to tie it closely against the first bead.

Repeat the same steps for the rest of the knots. Make sure they're tied against each bead. I just realized I don't have all the pictures for the sliding extender. I'll make this part 1 and finish it tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Part 2 is here!

Artworks by themselves - Lovely Treasuries Curated by ScrapHappyLyrebird on Etsy

2011-02-05T13:16:00.000-08:00

There is an overwhelmingly large amount of treasuries curated by talented etsy artists everyday. One artist stood out by delivering consistant results every time. They always catch my eyes from the very first glance. I'm showing you only the tip of the iceberg here. View more of ScrapHappyLyrebird's treasuries:

http://www.etsy.com/people/ScrapHappyLyrebird/treasury?ref=pr_treasury_more

Tax Time Humor - Fun Discoveries on ETSY

2011-02-05T11:07:00.000-08:00

It's that time again for a lot of us. I thought it would be a good idea to bring some humor into this seemingly endless era. I found these fun items on etsy. The artists are a very creative bunch. Enjoy and have a hearty laugh!

Some of my favorite love quotes

2011-01-27T22:31:00.000-08:00

♥ "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched- they must be felt with the heart."--Helen Keller
♥ "Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies."
--Aristotle
♥ " Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
♥ "I love you, not only for what you are, But for what I am when I am with you."
--Roy Croft
♥ "Love is missing someone whenever you're apart, but somehow feeling warm inside because you're close in heart."
--Kay Knudsen
♥ "Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength; loving someone deeply gives you courage."
-- Lao Tzu
♥ "Dance as though no one is watching you. Love as though you have never been hurt before. Sing as though no one can hear you. Live as though heaven is on earth."
-- Author Unknown
♥ "Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own."We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly."

--Robert Heinlein

♥ "Where we love is home, home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts."
--Oliver Wendell Holmes

♥♥♥♥♥@♥♥♥♥♥@♥♥♥♥♥@♥♥♥♥♥@♥♥♥♥♥@♥♥♥♥♥@♥♥♥♥♥@♥♥♥♥♥

Find a perfect Valentine's Day gift for her in my shop. Everything is handmade with care and love. Right now everything is 15% off plus free shipping. Below are some of my favorite pieces.

Visit my shop here
http://www.etsy.com/shop/rjdesignhut

Razzle-Dazzle

Amour

Apple Blossoms

Dragon Dance

For turtle lovers and those who like cute things

2011-01-26T22:11:00.000-08:00

I've always been fond of turtles. They just seem to be so mellow. Maybe that's why they live a long time. They simply don't let things bother them. Be the first to own these darling turtle pendants. You can view this new listing in my shop here:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/66827465/carved-jasper-stone-turtle-pendant-plus

A great You Tube video

2011-01-26T19:18:00.000-08:00

I'm not a YouTube enthusiast by any means. But once in a while I find a treasure amongst a sea of amature videos. I'm usually one of the last ones to discover them too. So if you have watched this one before, just smile and watch it one more time.

A new treasury by Marina on etsy

2011-01-26T18:45:00.000-08:00

My hand wirewrapped turquoise necklace 'Eternity' was featured in Marina's new treasury, Time. Her approach is unique - time through an artist's eyes. I'm flattered to be included in her treasury. You can view my necklace here:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/65421944/eternity-sterling-silver-wirewrapped

Fond Farewell to Jack LaLanne

2011-01-24T19:25:00.000-08:00

My husband asked me if I remembered Jack LaLanne last night. Of course, how can I forget! His regular appearances on our local TV station made the news somewhat bearable to watch. He was called the American fitness guru. But to me, he felt more like my next door neighbor. I was surprised when my husband sadly told me he passed away at age of 96. I always thought he'd live forever. His life was like a celebration of life itself.

Farewell, Jack! You'll be missed. I wish your wife Elaine all the best.

Featured item in ETSY treasury!

2011-01-23T19:08:00.000-08:00

I'm so thrilled. My Sunset earrings were featured in a lovely treasury by my4sisters on etsy. I love her selection of all the warm colors. It makes my heart melt. Mine is the last item in the second row. You can go straight to it from this link below.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/65354073/sunset-featuring-swarovski-crystals-and

Tutorial: How to resize multiple pictures with Adobe Photoshop 7

2011-01-22T23:13:00.000-08:00

I've been uploading a lot of pictures lately, to Flickr, Facebook, Etsy, etc. Almost all my pictures are from my digital camera and they're fairly large files. I resize them in batches using Adobe Photoshop 7. It has saved me a lot of time. I use the web gallery function. It will resize your images automatically, create thumbnails, even a html document displaying everything if that is also what you need. Here's how I do it step by step.

1. Open up Adobe Photoshop 7

2. Go to File > Automate > Web Photo Gallery

3. A dialog box will pop up. Please see the picture below. Under FOLDERS, you will see BROWSE and DESTINATION. Click BROWSE and locate the folder that has all of the images you want resized.

4. Now click on DESTINATION, create a new folder. This new folder is where your new resized photos and html documents will appear.

5. The dropdown box next to OPTIONS should be showing BANNER by default. For SITE NAME just give it a title if you want the html documents to have one or you can just leave it the way it is.

6. Click on the dropdown box and go to the next option LARGE IMAGE. There are several steps here.

a) Make sure the box next to RESIZE IMAGES is checked.

b) By default, MEDIUM is selected and your resized images are set to be 350 pixels in width or height depending on what you choose under CONSTRAIN. You can change the setting to whatever you'd like. I usually keep it under 500 pixels.

c) Under CONSTRAIN, you can choose either to have your resized images a certain width or height. By selecting BOTH though, your image will be a perfect square. I recommend either WIDTH or HEIGHT. You don't want to have distorted images in the end.

d) JPEG QUALITY is totally up to you. The higher the value the better the quality. Keep in mind though, the file size will be bigger too.

e) The rest of the settings are pretty much self explanatory. I won't go into details here.

After everything is set to the way you want, click OK. Wal-lah, the computer will do the rest of the work. Look for the resized images in your destination folder.

Garbage Truck Rule

2011-01-21T20:03:00.000-08:00

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us.

My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly. So I asked, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!"

This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck." He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they’ll dump it on you.

Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on.

Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets. The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day.

Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so... "Love the people who treat you right. Forgive the ones who don't." Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it! Now go out and have a great day.

♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥

Now go out and have a great day!

I first heard this story at a staff meeting from a former manager of mine. I don't know who wrote the story or where it came from. I know one thing for sure though, it really touched me in a profound way. I often think of this story when people were unkind to me or I didn't think I deserve certain treatment. I tell myself not to pass the garbage onto other people. I've become a much more understanding and empathetic person. Everybody has their ups and downs. Don't take it personally. They might just have been having a bad day or something terrible happened in their life. You'd never know.

Life is too short. Let's enjoy it to the full extent and learn to
"Love the people who treat you right. Forgive the ones who don't."

A New Beginning...

2011-01-20T18:45:00.000-08:00

Finally, my own blog is up and running! I'm so excited. After hours of fiddling with the layout and designs and all kinds of fun stuff, I'm temporarily settled on the current design. It still needs a lot of work but it's a work in progress.

My cat was leisurely posing for this picture.

I started making jewelry about five years ago. My coworkers and friends gave me a lot of support. What I remember the most, though, was the first time I showed my jewelry to Julie, the store owner at Willis & Bennett. Her confidence in my designs gave me the courage to continue on. I was making mostly earrings at that time. My talented husband made a beautiful display for me that later was proudly placed in another store which also carried my jewelry.

I changed jobs soon after and started working full time, putting my jewelry making onto the back burner until recently. The discovery of etsy reawakened my creativity. I started thinking about designing jewelry again. I decided that it was time to open my own online shop. My coworkers have been lending me tremendous support. I want to thank them here. And of course my husband too, specially for his encouragement and lending me a hand whenever I need it.

I hope this blog will keep me focused and on track. I'll keep you posted in the future.