Goals Update

I reviewed my stated goals and feel that I'm off to a good start.  I've set up a system of keeping receipts organized for tax purposes.  I've increased and worked my circles.  I've been very active in the team promotional activities.  (Actually, I will be tied up a lot starting soon and going to mid-March so I want to get lots of promoting done now.) I've increased my items which will be helpful when I hit this busy patch which will include being out of town a lot as well as some minor but inconvenient surgery.

No progress on Google, tags or organizing my materials.  Still, a pretty good start.

Here is my newest item.

2012 Goals

My shop goals for 2012 tend to be functional in nature...things I wish I had done/known this past year.

I will learn more about Google, Tags and timing trends and then, impliment some of these skills.  The information is there thanks to the hard work of so many wonderful team members.  I WILL take advantage and learn.

I will organize my materials.  I can't find a thing!  I've purchased some containers and actually have an overall plan.

I will keep better records of receipts, inventory and sales.

I will increase the number of items in my shop.  I met this year's goal in this area but need to keep going.

I will tweak my circles.  I met my goals here as well but plan to increase numbers and pay closer attention as to who to keep and who to replace.

I will continue to be active in the threads and team activities.  Without the help and support of all my friends none of the above would be possible.

A thousand thanks to everyone for last year.  It was a blast!

Going Postal

I really, really, really wanted to mail my package that was going to central Alaska so that it would be heading out Monday morning. I was waiting for one last gift ordered on-line to make an appearance in my mailbox. It arrived Saturday afternoon, was quickly wrapped and slipped into the waiting large Priority Mail box. I flew out the door trying to make the 4:30 Post Office closing time. I didn’t, primarily because they close at noon on Saturdays.


A young girl (looked about 12 but was driving and all so she must have been older) was there and suggested I stop whining and pounding on the closed, locked and empty section and use the Do It Yourself Package Mailing Kiosk. This sounded good until I discovered that it was related to a computer! You know how I am about following directions on a computer.

Well, no one was around so I figured I could always grab my package and run out the door if I botched this job too badly. Got almost through when I noticed the 12 year old girl (who drives a car) was back and watching me. I hate an audience when I’m stumbling around. Fortunately, for a change, I managed to follow the directions and get the job done and she only had to remind me to hit NO at the end to clear the screen.

All I had to do was to take my large package and put it in one of the two bins. Neither bin would open. Yanking, pulling, kicking and muttering unladylike comments didn’t work. It wouldn’t fit in any of the slots (duh) so I had to take it home and bring it back Monday. (The 12 year old didn’t have any luck either but she had a small package and was able to slip it into a letter slot. Not fair!)

Returned Monday, in the rain, and felt that since I was now a pro at managing the kiosk, skipped the lines and went to the machine. Unfortunately, this time I had an envelope and I couldn’t find the Delivery Confirmation. Fortunately, the Maintenance Man was there cleaning the doors and came over to offer assistance. We worked around the menu a bit and discovered that if I called my small envelope a ‘package’ I could get the Delivery Confirmation. Thanked the gentleman profusely, added addresses to my printed labels and jauntily tossed the three packages into the now functioning bin.

I’ll use the Kiosk again…as long as there is a 12 year old girl or a maintenance man handy to hand-hold me through the hard parts.

Take the time to enjoy your holiday's.  It doesn't matter if the floors are scrubbed or the silverware is shined.  Relax and enjoy good company and family. 

Golden Pouches

I want to share some information with you about one of our Promotional Frenzy Leaders.  I made a BNR purchase from Magda and happened to include an order for some little pouches.  What a lovely surprise.
I can't tell you how fabulous the Jewelry Bags or Pouches from magdamagdaFashion  are.  They come in sets of 4 and are beautiful.  The fabric is a lovely shimmery gold (which doesn't show well in my pictures) and are heart shaped  A beautiful jeweled button is the closure.

Attractive packaging can be found but the question is, how well does it work with your product.  Let me show you.

Medicine Stones, Delicate Pendant Necklaces and items with sculpted figures all worked comfortably with Magda's pouches.  She will customize these for you if you'd like.  I love them and plan to see if Magda will make some in other colors for me.  We all know how talented and inventive Magda is.  I can hardly wait to see more of these.

My First and Last Craft Show Adventure

Here’s a story for Turtle and other Bad Luck Participants in Craft Shows


The first place I had any of my jewelry, many, many years ago, was in the gift shop of the Tucson Museum of Art. (Fancy-Dancy) They have two High-End Artisan Markets a year and the manager really wanted me to participate. Now, we had been to these before as browsers and buyers. The markets are held in a lovely, multi-level plaza with trees and so on. These are usually wonderful events.

A jewelry artist friend and I (plus our husbands) decided to participate, paid for a spot and did all the usual preparation. It was a first time for both of us so we spent a lot of time setting up and deciding upon displays the weekend before the Market.

The first day of the event (there were 3) got off to a bumpy start as there was no parking in the vicinity and things went downhill from there.

1. -We had a horrible spot well outside of the lovely patio area. It was dirt and didn’t even look to be a part of the event. There were 7 venders there.

2. -While unloading in the unloading zone, we got a parking ticket. Seems someone needed to be with the vehicle the whole time. We found this out later.

3. -It was a horribly hot 3 day weekend and there was no shade where we were.

4. -Some guy came by and asked if this ‘swap meet’ was here every weekend. (Fancy-Dancy revisited)

5. -Directly across from us was a couple with about 4 items in their tent who spent the whole weekend practicing having sex. Had they removed their clothing the deed would have been done… a lot. (X-rated Fancy-Dancy)

6. -The food tents were up-wind from us and the flies and trash were pretty bad. (Unsanitary Fancy-Dancy)

7. -We sold just enough to cover our expenses including the parking ticket but not enough for the lunches the husbands bought from expensive restaurants in the area. (Costly Fancy-Dancy).

I’ve never done another. (Retired Fancy-Dancy)

Note: The Tucson Museum of Art has since undergone extensive expansion and remodeling. All the venders are in the patio/courtyard areas. It really is a great site. We just caught it at a bad time.  Left a lasting impression.  LOL

Bat Monitoring Expands

All these bat pictures posted here and elsewhere have done quite a bit for the on-going study of endangered varieties.  Not only are there people in rural Southern Arizona keeping track but the monitoring has expanded into the more urban areas of the foothills around Tucson.

Here's one more picture from someone in Tucson who has signed up to help monitor the visitors at her hummingbird feeders.

You can really see this guy.  I suppose they are 'filling up' for the upcoming trip back to Mexico soon.

Endangered Bats

More on Bats in Southern Arizona.  Nature lovers and biologists will be most interested.

This is from my friend who called Game and Fish about her bats after she heard they were interested in tracking bats on the endangered list. I posted her pictures in last week's blog.

The Game and Fish crew arrived around 7:00 and were here until 9:30 P.M.

They first set up some tall poles by the back patio, then ran some very light fish net between them to cover the length of the patio and about 3-6 feet off the ground. Once the bats started flying around they entangled themselves in the net, and if they struggled a lot it might take 10 minutes to untangle them. I think they caught 6 bats before they found the one they wanted to glue the transmitter to.

The process was that once a bat got caught in the net, the guys (wearing gloves) carefully extricated it from the net; the more the bat struggled, the longer that took. Once it was freed they dumped it in a cloth bag so they could hang it from a scale and get a weight which they recorded in a notebook. Next they took it out and examined it, noting species, sex, age and if it was 'breeding' or not.

There are two species that feed on nectar in Az., and so far all the pictures we've taken have been the Lesser Long-Nosed Bat (the one on the endangered list and the subject of their study) so naturally the first bat they trapped turned out to be the other species (the Mexican Long-Nosed bat) so she was turned loose. She was about 22 gms, but the next several were lighter so were not selected for the transmitter. After the first Mexican bat, all the others caught were the desired Lesser Long Nosed bat, both sexes. The last two were caught at the same time and each weighed 23 gms (the desired minimum for the transmitter) but one was very full of nectar and the other had little water weight so he was selected as the biggest.

The transmitter was about 5 cm long, but with a wire antenna about another 6 mm long; it was glued on with a skin bond glue which will hold it on for 7-10 days. The two p/u trucks had extended directional antennas mounted in the beds; one truck took off before the bat was released, and headed out the back roads to Dos Cabezas intending to wait at the 186 highway expecting the bat to head that way when it went back to its roost. The other truck stayed here in my yard for about 45 minutes, tracking the signal. They expected that after release the bat might go 'rest' somewhere (like my barn) before returning to the feeders and then heading home.

They promised to let her know what happens, and if they track him to the daytime cave/mine or other roost.  Haven't heard anything yet.