Donating to Earthquake/Tsunami Relief Efforts in Japan

The adorable image above features a "Japan Disaster Relief Aid - Cupcake Topper" by The Giving Madam.

My heart goes out to the dear people of Japan, I have created several team treasuries featuring members of the Etsy teams I am involved with and items that are donating to Japan relief funds. In my shop Eco-Friendly Freckles, I will be sending 20% of all of my hand-painted upcycled decoupage canister and tin sales to the Salvation Army’s earthquake relief efforts in Japan. You can view all of my "Japan Relief" decoupage tins here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ecofriendlyfreckles?section_id=6793761
The Etsy Recycler's Guild relief efforts for Japan are featured on our team blog...my donating items are mentioned too. :-)
http://etsyrecyclersguild.blogspot.com/2011/03/etsy-sellers-show-love-to-japan-and-how.html
Here are some team treasuries I have created featuring team items and items donating to earthquake/tsunami relief efforts for Japan:

"The Sugar Plums and Cherry Blossoms of Japan - Donations for Relief Efforts" for the Etsy Self Taught Artists Treasury (STAT) Team.

"Wishbone Doggies Love Japan - Donations for Relief Efforts" for the EtsyBloggers Team.

"Owl Always Love Japan - Donations for Relief Efforts" for the Etsy Recycler's Guild Team.

"Soaring Sympathy for Japan - Donations for Relief Efforts" for the Oklahoma Disciples of Etsy Team.

"Tears and Healing for Japan - Donations for Relief Efforts" for the Etsy Natural Healer's Guild.

Protect, Cherish, Nurture Our Loving Mother Earth

The captivating image above is a beautiful print of the original painting "Mother Nature: Protect, Nurture, Cherish" by Bitowhimsey.

Another one of my team blog articles has been posted on the Etsy Recycler's Guild Team Blog! This one is titled "Reuse and Recycle Your Packaging Materials"; I suggest some things that you can recycle and use in your Etsy shop orders for packaging, as well as feature several Etsy Recycler's Guild member upcycled packaging items (package tags, stationary, business cards, etc.). Please check it out!

http://etsyrecyclersguild.blogspot.com/2011/03/reuse-and-recycle-your-packaging.html

Getting motivated to do your part by protecting, cherishing, and nurturing our amazing planet this coming Earth Day? Well, here are two treasuries that my spark some ideas and further encourage your nature-loving aspirations!

Here is a treasury created by my sister, Andrea of Storybook Artifact, and is titled "Earth Day Dreaming". This darling treasury is an entry for this week's Etsy STAT Team Treasury Challenge...Please view this treasury!!! Andrea's chances of winning the challenge increases with the more views her treasury gets! She features my hand-painted upcycled decoupage canister "Little Miss Cupcake" in this delightful collection!

I created this treasury titled "Capture the Beauty of Spring" featuring all members from the Etsy Recyclers Guild!!!

The Etsy STAT Team Exposure Game!

The Self Taught Artist's Treasury (STAT) Team has created a fun-filled way to spread the word about team member's shop items...The Exposure Game! Each team member participating in the game lists one shop item that they want to promote with a complementary catchy phrase along with copying and pasting all of the other participants selected item links and phrases and shares them any way they can (blog, facebook fan page, twitter, treasuries, etc.). Here is an example here on my sister's, Andrea of Storybook Artifact, blog:

http://storybookartifact.blogspot.com/2011/03/self-taught-artists-expose-their.html

Below are two treasuries that I created today featuring all members of the Etsy STAT Team; those participating in the Exposure Game and a few other lucky ones!

Eternal Playfulness - STAT Team EXPOSURE GAME Treasury 1:

Earthy Gypsy - STAT Team EXPOSURE GAME Treasury 2:

A Day in the Park...Take a Walk and Get Some Sunshine!

The delightful image above is an item from the Etsy shop Cupcake Cutiees Designs titled "Day in the Park Digital Clipart Elements" . I enjoyed a fun walk in the sun at a local park with my darling twin sister, Andrea of Storybook Artifact, and her sweet baby boy (and my adorable nephew) Bobby yesterday! What a fun-filled afternoon we had!
I created a blog article for the Etsy Recycler's Guild blog about "The Healing Benefits of Sunshine". Please check out this informative blog article that features two items from Etsy Recycler's Guild members!Speaking of promoting Etsy Recycler's Guild shops, Kitchen Robots by Leuckit created this charming treasury titled "A Walk Outside..." where all Etsy Recycler's Guild members are featured. My "Sunshine on a Rainy Day" hand-painted upcycled decoupage canister is featured in this treasury too!My "Sunshine on a Rainy Day" upcycled tin is also featured in this bright and sunny treasury created by STAT Team Captain HippieChicJewelz titled "Put Some Bright In Your Life" and is one of the participating treasuries in the STAT Team Tuesday Treasury Challenge! My dear sister, Andrea of Storybook Artifact, also featured my "Sunshine on a Rainy Day" upcycled tin in her STAT Team Challenge Treasury "The Bright Side of Black"...Thank you Andy!

Also, I would like to share that the awesome Etsy STAT Team is participating in a rewarding pursuit called the "Exposure Game"; during the week, each member selects an item from their shop that they would like featured in the Exposure Game and on Friday all of the members participating in the game will promote all of the STAT Team members' selected shop items however they wish (this could be by creating treasuries, promoting on Facebook fan pages or blogs, etc.). STAT Team member Planet Calamari is participating in the Exposure Game and she has made a wonderful treasury for the game titled "Exposing the ESTY STAT TEAM Part 1" and she also features my "Sunshine on a Rainy Day" upcycled tin.

Pretty Pin-ups and Sensational Treasuries

This alluring image is a set of "7 Vintage Pin Up Girls from Esquire Magazine 1950's" by Songbird Industries.

I am smitten over some sensational treasuries on a Sunday afternoon...this first one is titled "Green and Orange" and is created by Ottupura. She features my Vintage 60's Playboy Pinup Print.
My Vintage 60's Playboy Pin-up (pictured above) is also featured in this other lovely treasury titled "The Bold & the Beautiful" by Etsy STAT Team member Yifat Bareket Jewelry Designs.Darling Etsy STAT Team member Yifat Bareket Jewelry Designs has also created another treasury with my newest upcycled decoupage tin "Sunshine on a Rainy Day", that features a pretty pinup girl, in her treasury "And the OSCAR goes to...".
This alluring pinup is an "ELVGREN - BURLESQUE SHOWGIRL PIN-UP FINE ART GICLEE PRINT" by VANGUARDGALLERY.
Now it's time to take a trip to the old west and gaze at my treasury titled "At the Ole Saloon". I feature my sister's, Andrea of Storybook Artifact, original sketch "Man Behind the Story" and four other members from the Oklahoma Disciples of Etsy Team in this treasury!

Become a Milk Maid in Your Kitchen!

The darling image above is a "Milk Maid Vintage Linen Tea Towel" by Big Yellow Taxi Vintage. Please check out this lovely Etsy shop!
My sweet sister, Andrea of Storybook Artifact is now selling Milk Maiden Heirloom Kefir Grains...You can become a milk maid in your own kitchen with these babies!

She explains the wonderful benefits of kefir in her item description as follows:
Kefir is full of beneficial bacteria that aids as a natural probiotic for your intestinal flora, and thereby builds up your body's immunity. It has been found that kefir is an effective immune stimulant and antimicrobial against a wide variety of harmful gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Composed of around 400 strains of beneficial bacteria found in the intestines, kefir's microbes serve as a natural clean-up crew for your intestines, and are essential for the proper absorption of many vitamins and minerals. Kefir also has an abundance of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and enzymes. Some of the more noteworthy of these are calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin B2, and B12, vitamin K, A and D. Tryptophan, an essential amino acid found in kefir, has been found to have a relaxing effect on the nervous system.
Please check out Andrea's cozy little Etsy shop "Storybook Artifact" filled with delightful vintage finds, original paintings and sketches, and yes...probiotic heirloom kefir grains!!!Also speaking of Storybook Artifact's Milk Maiden Heirloom Kefir Grains, these healthy little cultures along with her Antique Rabbit Tea Pot Set are featured in this pleasantly pink STAT Team treasury created by CALLACosmetics titled "Vintagely Pink".My hand-painted, upcycled decoupage canister "Little Miss Cupcake" is also featured in this adorable treasury!

The Absinthe Green Fairy

Albert Maignan’s painting of “Green Muse” (1895) shows a poet succumbing to the green Absinthe fairy.

I have made a treasury celebrating the historically mysterious Absinthe spirit beverage and the infamous Green Absinthe Fairy. This treasury is created by myself Eco-Friendly Freckles and is titled "Absinthe Green Garden Fairy"; I feature six items from Etsy STAT Team members!
Here is a fascinating video from the History Channel about the history of Absinthe:

Viktor Oliva's original painting (1901) titled "The Absinthe Drinker".

Here is another green fairy inspired treasury created by STAT Team member Room of Your Own and is titled "Its Just a Fairy Tale".

Today is "Be Humble Day"

The adorable image above is an original art print titled "Humbled Bird" by Kimberly Glesenkamp.
Today is not a day to brag or to boast. Its not a time to talk about your success or accomplishments. Why!? Because today is ...... Be Humble Day!

Be Humble Day can be a humbling experience. That's exactly the intent of today. Humbleness is a good thing, a virtue. People much prefer a humble person to a braggart. Practice humbleness today, and everyday. It will serve you well in life.

In this blog article, I am going to share with you all some treasuries that I find humble...ha ha, or maybe quite the opposite!


Who could be more humble than a calm cowboy? I reckon just about nobody. ;-) This lovely, rustic treasury is titled "Keep Calm & Cowboy On" and is a STAT Team Challenge Treasury created by Oddball Art Co.. My Vintage 60's Playboy Pinup is featured in this treasury.


Hang on a moment, a cow is more humble than a cowboy...who could be more humble than a sweet brown eyed cow? This delightfully brown treasury is also another entry into the STAT Team Treasury Challenge, this one is titled "How Now Brown Cow" and is created by Jems by Sandi. My Vintage 60's Miller High Life Print Ad with a very suave gentleman is featured in this treasury...and so is a cute, humble dog with a knitted hoodie!


Speaking of adorably sweet doggies, who could be more humble than the darling print of doggie in this treasury...look at those precious eyes! This is another STAT Team Challenge Treasury titled "STATTEAM Challenge Brown" by Hippie Chic Jewelz. My hand-painted upcycled decoupage canister "Traveling Lady" is featured in this charming treasury!


Oh here we go, I've got it...not the brown eyes on a cow or a dog, the most humble of them all are the brown eyes on an innocent, loving young girl! Just like the classic Van Morrison song this STAT Team Challenge Treasury is titled "Brown Eyed Girl" by my dear sister Andrea of Storybook Artifact. She features my hand-painted upcycled decoupage canister "Little Miss Cupcake" in this treasury.


No no no, I've finally got it! Our beautiful, humble earth...nothing could be more true, natural, and definitely humble. This STAT Team Challenge Treasury is titled "The Color of Earth" and it is beautifully conveyed in this treasury by Mystichintime. She features my hand-painted upcycled decoupage canister "Traveling Lady".


Ha ha, alright now this treasury is quite the opposite of "being humble" it features a very vain woman who is obsessed with the often considered "sinfully seductive": chocolate...and this lady is having a major chocolate attack! This STAT Team Treasury Challenge is created by myself, Eco-Friendly Freckles, and is titled "Chocolate Insanity at the Vanity". I feature my sister's (Andrea of Storybook Artifact) Vintage Rose Hand Mirror.


Mmm, indulgent chocolate...I love it! Here is another STAT Team Challenge Treasury titled "Brown is the Color of Chocolate (Especially)" and is created by CreatIVYty. She features my hand-painted upcycled decoupage canister "Little Miss Cupcake".

Gleeful Grandma and LightMine Etsy Shop Review

Andrea's and my mother, Vicki, was so very elated to see her first and only grandchild, Bobby (Andrea's baby boy) during our visit this week. In her cozy room in the nursing home, we celebrated a happy belated Valentine's Day the day after the holiday. We opened up her Valentine's gift which she loved a "Vintage Avon French Telephone filled with Charisma Perfume and Bubble Bath". I got this adorable vintage find from the Etsy Shop "LightMine"...Please check out this stunning Etsy shop full of alluring gifts for yourself or someone you love!

Bobby even enjoyed playing with his Grandma's vintage Avon french telephone..."Hello, Grandma?! I love you!"

For a tribute to my darling mother, Vicki, this blog article features treasuries will all items that remind me of her. :-)

This is my (Eco-Friendly Freckles) latest treasury titled "Lady Chatterley's Poet". I feature six members of the Etsy STAT Team including my sister Andrea of Storybook Artifact! This treasury reminds me of my mother because of her love for romance novels..."Lady Chatterley's Lover" by D.H. Lawrence is one of Andrea's favorites.

Here is a fun and vibrant Etsy STAT Team treasury from Hippie Chic Jewelz titled "That 70's Shop Item" and naturally it reminds me of my mother because she was a playful young lady full of sunshine in the seventies! My hand-painted upcycled decoupage canister "Little Miss Cupcake" is featured in this STAT Team treasury.


This treasury is titled "Natural Beauties" and is created by Etsy STAT Team member Aunt Carrie's Cottage. This colorful treasury reminds me of my mother's love and fascination for birds; she used to have a pair of parakeets that she loved very much and she also enjoyed watching cardinals outside of her window. My Vintage 60's Morton Salt Print is featured in this treasury.