LUXURY CARD STORE

::: Wonder what It's Like to Be Nice | Deluxe Sticker Set | $6.25

2010-12-18T13:55:00.000-05:00

::: Wonder what It's Like to Be Nice | Deluxe Sticker Set | $6.25

I did it - My first Etsy sale!

2009-12-14T02:44:00.000-05:00

Well I'll be darned, yes Virginia there is a Santa Claus! I had my first sale on Etsy. It was one of my handcrafted blank "pocket" books.

I'm glad some one broke the ice. I have another available just like it and others with different designs. Check out the link to my shop on the right hand column to see more.

Windows 7 - OK maybe I spoke too soon?

2009-11-05T04:25:00.001-05:00

I was lamenting the launch of Windows 7 because my crafting gagets/toys won't work on that OS and I need a new computer. Well, maybe I spoke too soon. I just found out that there is something called Windows XP mode that is available on the Windows 7 pro, enterprise and ultimate editions. It is a fully licensed and ready to run copy of Windows XP. It has it's own virtural DVD, virtural hard disk, virtural memory and virtural network connection. You need to run it in a separate window and you can download and operate software using Windows XP just like you could on you old computer. You will need to remember to turn XP mode on and off, since the primary OS is still Windows 7, but I can think of worse things!

OK maybe Windows 7 might work for me after all?

I will try being nicer if you will try being smarter...

2009-10-29T01:52:00.003-04:00

I have a line of t shirts, mugs and other nice gifts on Zazzle. Take a peek!

I will try being nicer if you will try being sm... by eulamarcia

Why Windows 7 launch today DOESN'T work for me

2009-10-22T11:00:00.000-04:00

Today Microsoft is launcing their newest and best operating system called Windows 7. This is supposed to be a huge improvement over Windows Vista, but it really DOESN'T work for me at all, even if it is better. I have heard all kinds of horrifying things about Vista and how everyone pretty much HATED IT. So much so, that Microsoft tried to re-lauch it wearing a mask and costume and renaming itself Mojave. A pig in a silk dress and lipstick is still a pig. (and I love bacon!)

I'm all for improvement, but it puts me in a pickle. I'm into arts and crafting big time, so much so, that I have bought several pricy craft related gagets that require the use of a computer. Just for example, I own a Pazzles computerized paper cutter, a Singer Futura embroidery machine, and a Cricut Gypsy, and a few other items that don't NEED a computer, but definitely benefit from me having access to one. All of these pricy gagets run just fine on the Windows XP OS I already have in my 3 year old laptop I'm typing on right now, but they don't run on Windows 7. My laptop is showing it's age already, because the DVD optical drive only works when it feels like it. If today isn't a good day for it, I'm out of luck. I need to buy a new computer because I wasn't able to install the drivers for the Singer Futura software before my optical drive went on the fritz, and the cost of paying some one to fix it is almost as much as what a new laptop costs. That means I have a $800 embroidery machine that I can't use until I buy a new computer, which will likely have Windows 7 loaded on it. You can still get Windows XP, but then I would have to get some one to uninstall Windows 7 and put XP in it. That will kill the budget! Or, I could buy a used system with XP already on it and a fuctioning optical drive and dedicate it solely to these gagets. But once my current laptop does finally drop dead, I think I would want a new one rather tha rely on the old one dedicated to the gagets.

Buying old gagets to make my existing gagets operate is a pain. Why can't we just stick with Windows XP?

The Gypsy has failed to hold my attention...

2009-10-04T19:34:00.004-04:00

I just couldn't help myself when HSN debuted the Cricut Gypsy Sept 24th. I bought it thinking it would be great to be able to "design on the go". Unfortunately, I haven't even remembered to take it with me. It sits there with a smirk on it's face, knowing I may never get around to fully using it. What's up with that? I wanted it as much as a teenager wants his or her first kiss, and now I can't even remember to take it with me!
Another odd thing, I went back to playing with my Pazzles Inspiration cutter after I got the Gypsy. I had stopped for awhile, while I played with my new baby bug cutter (Cricut). Maybe I should send the Gypsy back or sell it on eBay. I think I may have just hit my crafting gadget overload.

I received my Cricut Gypsy yesterday!

2009-09-30T02:27:00.008-04:00

Yeah I'm weak, so I bought one. I tried to tell myself I don't need it because I only have the Baby bug.(Yeah right!) Did I mention that I also own a Pazzles Inspiration, the newest one? I bought that from HSN also on the day it debuted in 2008.
Anybody who doesn't know what the heck a Cricut Gypsy is click here http://www.cricut.com/gypsy/

I got the Gypsy today and if I hadn't watched EVERY HSN presentation, I wouldn't have any idea of what to do with it, because it has NO INSTRUCTIONS included. OH MY BAD, it does tell you to push and hold the button to turn it on, BUT NOTHING ELSE. What's wrong with Provo Craft and HSN? What brand of crack are they smoking? I guess they both figured if you are enough of a Cricut fan to buy it you will be willing to figure it out on your own. Heh Heh Heh. It's also very convenient that HSN has removed the ability to write a review for it. They don't want the early birds to point out anything that might discourage anyone who missed it but still wants one. I don't know if I like it yet. Maybe I'll keep it, or maybe I'll sell it for a nice little profit on eBay. I will post an update on it shortly.

OK - I ate the Kashi!

2009-09-17T22:06:00.001-04:00

Well, I received the free sample of Kashi cereal in the mail the other day.

My first impression was Kashi knows good marketing! The reason I say that is because I was expecting a FREE COUPON for the cereal. That coupon may have never been used because I'm not keen on food shopping and when I do I often forget where my coupons are. The fact that they sent an actual box of the cereal WORKED. Some how I managed to remember to buy some Parmalat milk in the box before my sample showed up. I rarely buy milk because I'm slightly lactose intolerant. I guess I should consider buying some Lactaid. I can handle dairy in small amounts. I think the lactose intolerant thing is just a mental thing on my part because I LOVE cheese, ice cream, and yogurt and they rarely bother me. Maybe because Mom made us eat so darn much cereal as a kid my stomach started to balk. BUT I DIGRESS!

Well now I know why Total is trying to TKO Kashi. My first impression (sight) was "Lordy, this stuff looks like Kibbles and Bits / crumbled Granola bars". Now that's NOT good since Kibbles and Bits is a dog food and Granola doesn't really work for me. But, since I try not to judge a book by it's cover, I smelled it (good), then decided to taste some dry without the milk. DUSTY and DRY, but slightly, deliciously sweet. I asked them to send me the one with dried blueberries and that's the part I liked the most. I ate the rest with milk and was a little put off by the texture, but none the less ate it all. Not because I was hungry or anthing but because IT TASTES GOOD. After I finished I actually wished I had another sample.... but since I need to curb my appetite these days maybe it was good I didn't have another.

That was Monday, and everyday since then I have thought about that damned cereal. OK, I promised myself I will go to the supermarket tomorrow (remember I don't really like food shopping) to get another box. GO KASHI! Next time I'll just let it soak in the milk to soften the texture a little. Total Raisin Bran, I love ya, but remember you started it. I had NEVER heard of Kashi until you took square aim at the brand. Just remember, sometimes it's not what you said, it's what you DIDN'T say that I notice.
And Total DIDN'T say that Kashi tastes good!

EntreCard - Get the word out

2009-09-16T00:42:00.000-04:00

I just joined Entrecard, a free service that allows you to promote your blog by dropping your card (a 125×125 image) on other blogs. It was recommended by Lisa Irby from 2createawebsite.com. This lady seems to be on the ball so I'm going to "taste it, you know you want to!"

Did I mention I paint very large pictures and make make ACEOs which are very small?

2009-09-04T07:07:00.002-04:00

What the heck is a Kashi? AKA Got Milk?

2009-09-02T09:51:00.004-04:00

I never heard of Kashi cereal until I saw a commercial on TV for Total Raisin Bran cereal saying that they are better than Kashi.

I can imagine that the people at Kashi were thinking that even bad publicity is still publicity! Why would they think that? Because today I just saw a commercial for Kashi saying get a free sample at Kashi.com. I wouldn't have even given the free sample pitch a second thought if I hadn't already seen the Total Raisin Bran commercial first, because I don't eat a lot of cereal. I would have thought "who or what the heck is a Kashi?" Better yet I'd have thought "who cares?" Now thanks to Total, I'm curious to taste whatever it is that has them quaking in their boots.

Whenever one brand takes square aim at another, what you should really be thinking is "What's up with that, and what are they NOT saying?"

Sometimes it's not what you said, it's what you DIDN'T say that I should wonder about. I put in a request for a sample because I've been trying to eat better and more healthy. Once I get it (and then remember to buy some milk) I'll let you know what I think. Let's see if Total Raisin Bran has anything to worry about!

Next I might talk about Comcast cable, internet and phone services versus Verizon. Now there's an interesting dynamic!

Have you ever eaten this Kashi thing? What do you think?

I'm In like Flynn

2009-09-01T18:56:00.002-04:00

OK --

so that was corny, but I have been accepted into The Giveaway Bloggers Network.

Cool!

I think it's just as cool to give things away as it is to receive.

I once heard a saying "If your hand is closed tight into a fist trying to hold onto what you have, it won't be open to grab things when they do come your way"

I think I'll keep at least one hand open... you know, just in case something happens.

Today's Giveaway

2009-08-25T08:00:00.001-04:00

Today's giveaway will be slightly different from yesterdays. Yesterday I decided to give the book to the first person that responded, but today EVERYONE who responds has a chance at getting it.

I have discovered this website that will take a list of items, numbers or names and reshuffle the list in a completely random manner. So at the end of the day I will have the website randomly reshuffle the names and the third one from the top wins. I will contact you to give you the details on how to claim it.

Today's giveaway is: The Quilter's Catalog: A Comprehensive Resource Guide by Meg Cox. This is a great book that everyone from beginners to advanced quilters will like. Amazon has a used copy listed at $12.85 not including shipping. You could get it for just the cost of shipping.

What will stay the same as yesterday is:

All I ask is that you pay for actual shipping cost via the postal service from zipcode 19131. Go to usps.com to find the shipping charge from 19131 to your zipcode INCLUDING the charge for DELIVERY CONFIRMATION for media mail for 3 pounds. (It's a very thick 598 page book)

Please remember that media mail is very slow, but it will get there.

I must mention two important things:

1)I will only accept payment for postage through Paypal.

2) The book will not be mailed until the Saturday after I receive payment for postage so that I can mail all of that week's giveaways in one trip to the post office.

Keep coming back everyday, I have more (and some better) stuff to give away!

I'm giving it away!!

2009-08-24T13:27:00.003-04:00

I said I'm back with a brand new attitude!

Today I'm giving away a book called "Quilting for Beginners" by Coats & Clark. It is used, but in very good condition. All I ask is that you pay for actual shipping cost via the postal service from zipcode 19131. Go to usps.com to find the shipping charge from 19131 to your zipcode INCLUDING the charge for DELIVERY CONFIRMATION for media mail for 2 pounds.

Please remember that media mail is very slow, but it will get there.

The first person to leave a comment with a way for me to contact them gets it!
I must mention two important things:

1)I will only accept payment for postage through Paypal
2) The book will not be mailed until the Saturday after I receive payment for postage.

Keep coming back everyday, I have more (and some better) stuff to give away!

www.LuxuryCardStore.com

2009-08-23T16:39:00.003-04:00

So I'm back!

2009-08-23T15:28:00.003-04:00

I had to go away for awhile to but now I'm back.

Sorry it took so long, but maybe my absence will benefit YOU.

I've decided to start giving things away, starting with some greeting cards.

Take a look @ luxurycardstore.com

Photos From My Part of the World

2009-05-03T22:53:00.002-04:00

I just uploaded 40 photos to my Etsy shop. I will be uploading more cards and paintings here and in the shop over the next few days. Stay tuned.

Meanwhile check out the photos here http://www.luxurycardstore.etsy.com/

Triumph! Thank you Fuji customer service

2009-05-01T17:17:00.002-04:00

I have been trying to upload some card photos for days and days, but I continued to have problems that stumped me badly. I finally had the time to call Fuji customer service.

The first time I called I got some one who was either too new to be of any help or she just didn't care. She gave me the standard response, there must be something wrong with your computer. I was extremely annoyed that she didn't even try to troubleshoot the problem. Just the standard response. I hung up and called back because I knew that was not the answer. I just needed some one who will at least TRY to help me. This guy asked me one simple question, which prompted me to check the software that my photos automatically defaulted to and VOILA! Problem solved.

That guy should not only get his annual raise, but that useless lady's raise also. Maybe it would light a fire under her to at least TRY to help people BEFORE she gives the standard "There must be something wrong with your computer" response.

These are a few of the handcrafted cards you will see here and nowhere else. They are all made by me. Some or should I say MOST of them are made with materials imported from around the world. For example, the yellow leather flower on the card with the faux suede background was imported from Brazil. The fourth one with the dots are made with skeleton leaves I got from Thailand. All of them are all blank inside. I will also be showcasing some I have made with recycled materials. Stay tuned!

If you like any of them leave a comment telling me which one you like AND WHY. I'm in such a good mood that in a few days I'll randomly pick some one from all the comments received so far to give away three of the cards for free! Get your comments in -- Mother's Day is next weekend.

(Would have been) Beautiful cards

2009-04-25T18:40:00.000-04:00

Arrrrgh!

I have been trying to upload some pictures of greeting cards but I keep getting error messages.

Oh well, I'll try again later...

LUXURY - It's definition is relative to the person defining it...

2009-04-24T12:38:00.000-04:00

I have often stood in a card and gift shop, reading greeting cards and thinking, well some of them are funny, some heart warming, some not so good. But few of them made me think "Wow, this is beautiful".

So my disappointment with the run of the mill has led me to create my own and offer them here to you. Beauty and Luxury should be shared.