Gratitude & Compassion

"At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us."
Albert Schweitzer

With sincere thanks to my sweet friend, Mary Jane, for her very kind post this morning. You have lit the spark within me.

"Compassion, in which all ethics must take root, can only attain its full breadth and depth if it embraces all living creatures and does not limit itself to mankind."

Albert Schweitzer

May you spark someones flame today and show compassion to all living beings that you come in contact with.

Peace, love & happiness,

Rocki

Friday Funny!

I'm sharing this funny joke with you, thanks to my sweet friend Deb.

A woman was sitting at a bar enjoying an after work cocktail with her girlfriends when Steven, a tall, exceptionally handsome, extremely sexy, middle-aged man entered.

He was so striking that the woman could not take her eyes off him.

This seasoned yet playful heartthrob, noticed her overly attentive stare and walked directly towards her (as any man would). Before she could offer her apologies for staring so rudely, he leaned over and whispered to her...

"I'll do anything, absolutely anything you want me to do, no matter how kinky, for $20, on one condition..."

Flabbergasted, but intrigued, the woman asked what the condition was. The man replied "you have to tell me what you want me to do in just three words."

The woman considered his proposition for a moment, then slowly pulled out a $20 bill from her purse, which she pressed into the man's hand with her address.

She looked deeply and passionately into his eyes, barely concealing her anticipation and excitement, and slowly and meaningfully said... "clean my house."

LOL! Love this one Deb - thank you!
Happy Friday everyone :)
Rocki

p.s. no news yet as a Neuro has to read the results first.

Love my hands

This is an update from my previous post as I've not only received several replies via Blogger, but also through email and phone calls. You don't know how much your kindness means to me!

I'll cut to the chase. Due to the increase of pain in my hands, wrists and forearms, the amount of work I still need to finish up, plus additional sales, I had to put my shop in Vacation Mode for 2 weeks. This was truly a tough decision, but a necessary one. If I didn't do this, my timeframe would be so far out there it's crazy to think about. Plus the obvious reason - my health must come first in order to do what I love.

Even though the doc feels it is Carpal Tunnel (I'm thinking it's not), we'll find out for sure this coming Thursday as that is when the test is scheduled. This is one test I would love to fail (I'm not even going to study ;). Obviously CT is not the end of the world, but I would rather it be something else, say like plain old overuse. Either way I know I need to change the way I do things, which is no big deal. Been there, done that. I've come too far to let another medical problem mess with me - hence my name. Just typing this up is killing me.

With much love, appreciation and heartwarming thanks,
Rocki

Opinions Welcomed

So... I have a question and would truly appreciate your opinions, suggestions, comments, etc. Please feel free to be honest as that is what I'm wanting.

My shop is keeping me extremely busy. Don't get me wrong, I'm VERY happy and VERY appreciative as I love what I do. I'm also dealing with some hand/wrist problems that I thought was just my arthritis kicking up a notch (yes, I know... and I do metalwork - go figure!) Nope, the doc thinks it may be Carpal Tunnel and has set me up for some tests next week and possibly therapy - pending outcome. I already wear braces while I work & sleep, etc., but he gave me 2 new ones to wear that are much better (yep, both hands) .

Anyway, I have many wonderful customers that are so kind & understanding about my timeframe, which went from 5 then 7 and as of last night, 10+ business days for processing/shipping (pending order size). I don't like to have this type of timeframe as I'm concerned about my customers, but I have no other choice as I can only create so much. I do this all on my own and there is only so much time in a day. My main priority truly is the quality/integrity of my work and customer service as I take great pride in what I do.

Here's where I welcome your opinions: Although I have many customers that do not mind the wait, I completely understand those who do mind. So I've been thinking about putting my shop in Vacation Mode for a short period - maybe 4-5 days, but I'll be honest in saying that I hate the thought of seeing an empty shop and think it would truly bother me. I've had some people tell me not to worry about it (easier said than done) and to just leave it open. I really need to decrease my timeframe and am concerned that it will continue to grow.

Additionally, most of my work is made to order. Due to the volume of sales I receive, it is not possible (at this time anyway) to have everything available at time of purchase, but sometimes I have some stock on hand. Plus I take custom/reserved requests for multiple orders.

So, now that I've written a short novel, what are your thoughts?

Sapelo Island's Hog Hammock

This morning I read a couple blogs and one of them was my blog buddie Moondoonie. She blogged about a book called Sapelo Island's Hog Hammock. It sounds like it would be a very good book to read, so thought I would pass it on to my fellow blog buddies.

Below is information from the Amazon site where this book is available for purchase:

"Hog Hammock, located on Georgia’s Sapelo Island, is only accessible by ferry or private boat. It is one of the last island-based Gullah-Geechee communities in America—a living connection to West African languages, folkways, and spiritual traditions. With its dirt roads and tin-roofed houses, Hog Hammock is the site of a social hall, two historic Baptist churches, and a former schoolhouse, all built by descendants of slaves. The nearby Behavior Cemetery has burial sites that date back 200 years. Much has been written about the people of Hog Hammock and Sapelo Island, mostly documenting their lives as slaves and then as landowning free people working for millionaires who reshaped Sapelo Island into their own personal retreats. But there is another part of the island’s story, one filled with entrepreneurs, skilled craftsmen, and community leaders, that is told here in Images of America: Sapelo Island’s Hog Hammock. -

About the Author: Michele Nicole Johnson first visited Hog Hammock as a newspaper journalist and described the island as a place so linked to its history one can almost see the footsteps of the ancestors. She now lives in the community, where she is a freelance writer, an artist, and the manager of the Hog Hammock Public Library."

Doing my part to happily support a fellow artist. Won't you do the same?

Peace,

Rocki

Papa's Got A Brand New Bag

Oh yes, I remember that one Nora. One of many James Brown's songs that I love. Speaking of bags...

So the other day I came upon Nora's Etsy shop: mia baggali bags and art wear and fell in love with her boho hippie bags - just my style! The one above is my favorite... no, wait... it's the one below. Scratch that. I haven't decided which is my favorite yet!

Nora makes all of her own art wear. Where does her inspiration come from? Here is a quote from her shop:

"Many of these items begin their inception straight from the isles of vintage and used clothing stores. New fabric doesn't always do it for me. It's got to be old and tell a story. I never know what I'll find or how I'll transform it. Each creation is my adventure from start to finish!"

I encourage you to read her entire Profile - it is a good read!

Nora also makes a variety of head wear, like the very cool one above made from vintage jeans.

For the more girly girls, there is this very cute layered tote above. She also makes some pretty cool Scroogies. Scroogies? Yes. Scroogies.

How about a little vintage? Yep. She has that too. Like the adorable very vintage crocheted evening bag above and a variety of other vintage household items.

Going through Nora's etsy shop is a little like going back in time for me. In fact, after reading the following from her Shop Announcement, it took me WAY back: "Much of my inspiration comes from that surreal time when bona fide bell bottoms were ragged, dirty, faded, and torn from years of wear...not from The Gap!"

I wore bona fide bell bottoms and proud of it. The bigger the bell the better. I loved hearing the swishing sound while walking. Drove my Dad nuts. We won't even talk about hip-huggers.

Peace, love, happiness - and boho bags,

Rocki