Putting the Hands Back in Handmade

There’s headlines floating all over the interwebs right now on how Sellers on Etsy are protesting their latest change of policies. I’m betting 50% of my readers are saying, “What’s Etsy?” 45% are probably asking, “What policy change?” And the last group is packing up their profiles from Etsy and moving on.

Let’s start at what I once knew. Etsy was the place for all things handmade, vintage, or supplies to make handmade. An online community where I could go and buy fantastic supplies to make a knitted sweater, then turn around and sell said sweater, then take those profits and buy that vintage birdcage that I had always wanted. The American dream gone global, sort of speak.

But there were/are problems in the Etsy world. You had people reselling junk that was neither vintage, handmade, nor a supply. You had people selling things they never even touched, known as drop shipping. The problems kept growing, and growing, and growing. Drop in the word, “bubble necklace” in an Etsy search, and you’ll get a great example.

To fast forward to the latest issue over in Etsy world, and you have the Ceo stepping up in a town hall meeting to announce that Etsy sellers may now hire out to get their goods made, and they may also use drop shipping. In short I could technically send my knitted scarf design to China (no offense any oriental readers), hire a sweatshop to make hundreds of them, and have them ship the scarfs directly to you… never again having to touch them myself, while still calling my shop Handmade. I’d like to go on and on about the other problems this causes, the treatment of sellers, and so forth… but I’d like to keep this post somewhat short, as I actually DO have HANDMADE SCARVES to HAND KNIT, and those take time, lots of precious time. 😉

Now we’re at the downfall of this announcement for Etsy. Mass-produced versus handmade, and the Etsy name getting more tarnished than the senate. Those sellers who can afford to leave the venue are, they’re taking off to sites like Zibbet.com, Tictail.com, Indiemade, and more. Those of us who can’t afford to leave are left without the clout those big stores carried, and are running into customer after customer who want Ebay deals. Then there’s the buyers who can’t find homemade/handmade goods were they used to be the forefront. You have buyers unknowingly buying from mass producers. And buyers who are just simply turned off from the whole deal.

And it’s all a catch 22. To get a large company like Etsy to hear you, you have to hit them in the wallet. BUT that means hurting the hundreds of TRUE handmade, vintage, and supply shops who have been working their butts off to build their shops, and have been following every rule since day one. So I’m not asking you to leave Etsy off your shopping list this holiday season. I’m asking you to leave cheap, imported, mass produced JUNK off your list, and to buy handmade! When shopping on Etsy do a search of the item you’re wanting to buy in a new window/tab. If you see the same image in multiple shops, it’s probably mass produced. If you see a price that’s too good to be true, it’s not handmade. If the shop has 5,000 listings, and 10,000 sales, and 100 of each item in stock… yeah, it’s not handmade. (that one is different for supplies, they can pump out huge numbers) And even when you run into a shop on Etsy offering an IPhone for a super great deal, DON’T BUY IT!!! Go to Ebay for your deals, don’t encourage the Etsy CEO’s to ruin handmade businesses anymore! (Etsy makes a profit on every listing a shop owner lists, AND a profit on every item we sell)

When in doubt, ask if something is real. Many of us true Handmade “artist” on Etsy have connections to every kind of maker out there, if you can’t tell if it’s real or mass-produced, we’d all be happy to figure it out for you.

Make a real change in our economy and help support the little guys. It makes a huge difference when you do!

~Emily (You can start by checking out my shop at http://www.whitegoatranch.etsy.com 😉

What the Real Debate Should Be, IMO

I don’t feel safer.

I still don’t trust putting my child on to that bus every morning, watching that door close, and sending him off for others to protect.  I hate it, I hate every damn second.

And I hate that the nation seems to have forgotten the real issue.  The nation has forgotten about our children, and gone on to more wars between groups of people and politicians.  Propaganda rules their days while my first grader sits in his class room, just as those other children once did.

I don’t care about the war on guns and mental health.  (Okay, so I do care, a lot, but not in relating to this subject)  Because, you see, evil does exist.  You might call it a different name, based on your beliefs or backgrounds or whatever, but it’s out there.  As far back as our written history goes there are bad people out there doing bad things.  People have poisoned, stoned, hung, stabbed, drowned, shot.  This can’t be ignored.  You take away their weapon of choice, and because they are evil, they will indeed come up with another demented way to carry out their plan.  (9/11 anyone?)  So let’s end this part of the discussion right now.  Bad people will continue to do bad things, always.

But wait, mental health is too important!  Right.  I hear you.  It does have a factor in a lot of horrible crimes.  I agree.  But unless we become such a locked down nanny state, where every single person goes under constant evaluation… Bad people will still be out there.  (Some one is most likely rolling their eyes because I’m using the words “Bad” and “evil”, yes I understand many mental illnesses, and that some of these people just need help and medication and so on and so on, and they’d be normal people and such… Let’s just stick to one topic for now)

So now we finally get to the real point.  The point that is no longer being paid any attention to in the masses.  How is my child safe at school?

Let’s say we ban everything dangerous.  Let’s say we open up and improve our world of mental treatment.  And yet Tom the lunatic doesn’t care.  He has a plan.  And he’s not about to follow any law.  He approaches my son’s school, with a pack full of ammo that he stocked up on two decades ago, a gun he stole from Mexico, letter openers he’s sharpened to slice through a blade of hair, and whatever else a mad man might pack.  He gets into my child’s school.  (Let’s say he stabbed a dad in the parking lot and stole his ID, or let’s say he works there, or let’s say anything, there’s always a way)  And he approaches my child’s classroom…

Now what?  It takes an estimated (taken from a speech given by a St.Louis Sheriff) five to ten minutes to get one-armed cop to a school.  What will my son’s school do in those minutes to save lives?  Because it only takes minutes for a tragedy to happen or to be avoided.  The clock is ticking…

What happens next?

You can argue with me until you’re blue in the face that if we just take away guns that we’ll be fine.  I’m telling you I demand answers as to how my child’s life will be protected in school.  Protected from guns, knives, stun guns, pepper spray, rocks, brass knuckles, glass shards, bombs…. Because I don’t believe that we’ll ever get back to the days of my childhood memories of doors at school propped wide open on warm days.

Honestly, I don’t have all the answers.  I don’t want my children going to school in maximum security like buildings.  I don’t want him distracted and surrounded by armed militia.  But we have to start somewhere.  We have to start with protecting our children first.  It’s a great hope to want to solve the world’s issues, but it’s an impossible dream.  And we’re far from bringing our nation closer together with the current debates.  And my son is still only protected by a locked door and a petite secretary sitting behind a glass window.

So you can continue on being satisfied with your gun and healthcare debates, I’m not interested.  I want real results.  I want real safety.  My son is worth that.  Our children are worth real answers.

*packs away the soapbox*

*Side Note: This is not an invite to start any debates on this site on gun control or healthcare.  If you really, really, wanna.. email me.  I get that a lot of people just don’t wanna hear any of this, heck I lost five readers the day I posted about being a conservative, point being, no this is not gonna turn into a political ring, I have another blog for that.  But I would like to open up the discussion on what we can do inside the schools to keep our kids safe,  all views and opinions that are wrapped up like an adult are welcomed!

 

A Speech from the Conservative Girl

Things have been awfully busy around here.  Between getting the animals ready for the winter, hail storms, starting a new business, the minions and more… well breathing some days takes a backseat.

Let’s throw in a whole heap of “I’m pretty sure my muse has run away forever.”  And yeah, my blog has been abandoned.  Which totally allows me the right to break my number one rule for here today.  I’m gonna talk politics.

*Gasp*

I’m pretty sure you all can make it through one long post enough to just humor me.  Just one time.  Swearz it.

I am an outspoken, thick blooded, concreted in, Conservative.  Yes, I’m talking tea party backer, Glen Beck and Rush Limbaugh listener.  Constitution Lover.  That’s me.  I have guns, I have bibles, I voted for Romney and I’m damn proud of it.

And my “side” didn’t “win” the election.

*double gasps*

Election night I was up to 1 am, watching, waiting, observing.  Mouth tightly closed, fingers off the keyboard.  I didn’t go into Tuesday with shouting out that my party would kick arse.  I didn’t go into Tuesday thinking my party would lose.  All I knew is that I was DAMN proud that I could vote and show those in power that I did not agree with them, once again.  See that Claire, that gap between you and Todd, yup, that was ME.  Because every vote matters.

And we did loose.  And I didn’t say a word, because I have found it is wiser to watch and listen, then it is to flap your mouth.  Anything new takes time to process.  So I watched.  And then my life got super busy and I couldn’t make it back to the interwebs.

Then I got the phone calls, the text messages, the facebook messages (S and A this does not include you two! <3)… Everybody waiting, watching… what would I say/do?!

And so this long-winded blog post is my reply to those people who are waiting for some sort of speech from the hard-core conservative girl.

Eh hem.

I am damn proud of my fellow conservatives.  Especially in my state of Missouri.            So our GOP screwed us on the Akin deal.  He said something stupid, just like every other politician in the nation… and we got screwed.  Whatever.  But even with Miss I know better than the people of Missouri Caskill, we also voted in the same breath to take away the power she wanted the most.  Awesome!  (FYI Missouri passed a law that no government player could pass any type of healthcare law (affordable care act) without our vote)  And then to top it off we beat down the tax raise of 760% on cigarettes, to stay the state with the lowest cigarette tax in the nation.  We gave back the power of our police departments to our cities, and voted for Romney to ice the whole cake.  I love Missouri.

Yet Romney lost.  And we get four more years of the same nothingness (you can debate me later on facebook, this is my speech) we just had.  And my husband will most likely lose his job for good, and we lose our awesome insurance… and so much more.  A little part of my heart, my country, died.

But all is not lost.

See, the president works for us, the people of this country.  He is but one man.  One single man.  And we only lost an election… and not by much.  We, the conservatives have not lost the battle for a better nation, and we are nowhere near giving up.  Republicans took many years to mess things up (not to be confused with the blame Bush mantra that is still going on, gah), and it will take us many, many battles to get things where they should be.

I am not upset.  I am not depressed.  I am excited.

Four more years for those who voted for Obama to get what they asked for.  Four more years for my party to show you why that’s not going to work.  Four more years to gather the Libertarians, the constitutionalist, the tea party, and the conservatives into a strong foundation and rally together.  Because let’s face it, the division caused by yesterday’s Republicans is why we lost.  The Democrats/Liberals played that card very well.

This is just the beginning.  And the work has already begun.

And I’m still excited and proud to be a conservative.  I am proud to have voted for Romney.  And I’m not ashamed of my political and faith stances.

So there you have it.

In closing this post does not leave room for any debates.  So don’t try it.  Adult, intelligent, researched debates are always welcomed via private message, email, or on my facebook page.

If you’re freaked out because you are on the opposite side of the fence… don’t sweat it… I’m not big on political bashing, and this blog isn’t going political anytime soon.

The end.  *ships soapbox back to Facebook*

~Thank You~

I  found out a few things today.

1)Socks can brighten your whole entire day.

2)Animal Control is closed today.

3)I can almost make myself cry while writing a fictional novel.

But today is not really about how I’m sure Animal Control is in on the Moosen Goosen’s conspiracy, or how I might have just made two batches of bready goodness with yeast that may or may not be dead.  No.  Today is about those who were willing to give their lives so I could have the freedom to dance around in striped witchy socks, and ramble on in my blog about things so pointless, things that in other countries would give me time in prison, if I were lucky.

Days like today touch me deep down in my core.  I never served, not like that.  I was too little, too weak, too chicken shit.  I saw the effects war had on people, I lived with them daily.

Photo Credit: thelensflare.com

I’ve stood at the Wall and held grown men’s hands while they chalked an impression of their brothers lost in war.  I’ve walked the massive grounds at Jefferson Memorial with rows and rows of gravestones so perfectly, beautifully laid and adorned with flags… All of my family can be found there. 

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/msabeln/2524197913/

But today is not just about the fallen, the deceased.  Today is about all of us.  It’s about those who are serving as we speak, on the other side of the planet, far from all they know.  It’s about those thinking about joining the fight, and those who are picking up the pieces after returning home.  Today is about the family members who have watched their loved ones board a plane on their way to war, and those who have unloaded a casket from a plane.  Today is about our freedom and the cost it brings with it.

And before I ramble on much longer, I’ll wrap this up.  Thank you everyone for my freedom, especially my father.  ❤  Words cannot express my gratitude.

Everyone Needs a Little Conspiracy in Their Pocket

In between dehydrating apples, mixing up sourdough starter, writing my book and chasing around the minions an idea hit me. 

I try not to buy into conspiracy theories too often, and usually shrug them off and feed them to the goat, but I heard one about a month or so ago, and it sort of has been floating around in the back of my head.

A question was posed, or more so of an idea on a forum, the thought was on how it was rumored that Obama would find a way to order Martial Law hence stopping the elections and keeping his throne in the White House.  But no one could connect the dots on how he’d get away with ordering Martial Law.

I figured it out.

Now that we know as a FACT that ACORN is/was/is behind the Occupy Wallstreet Movement, and we know Obama is/was/is part of ACORN, we have our connecting link.  (Stay with me here, *grabs knit hat and padlocks the doors*)  We also know there’s a growing violence occurring across the country in this Occupy Movement.  But our fearless leader, Obama, is doing nothing, absolutely nothing to stop this.  (Are you connecting the dots yet?  Geranamo!)  He’s not responding to the demands and he’s not ending the violence… and the question is why not?! 

So what would happen if the violence continues to grow?  What if it got out of hand?  What would happen then?

Martial Law Folks.

All Hail the King. 

 

So I might be a little over the top, and 100% wrong about all of this, but that’s why it’s called a Conspiracy Theory.  And we all need our own little crazy sometimes.  And I had to post this somewhere so when it happens I can yell at everyone that I was right!  Now excuse me while I go stalk people running on their treadmills.  *snort*

Stealing First

It’s been a rather hellish week around here.  I was fully planning on dusting off the good old soapbox and gracing you on a wonderful speech on how protesting on a street named after a business that no longer is there is not the best idea… but you’ll have to wait on that one.  Try not to be too upset. 

I’m in a mood, a peculiar mood and it’s taking every ounce of my brain to rise above it.  It’s an odd twist of self loathing and wanting to eat the brains out of half the people I know.  It’s being happy and ticked at the exact same time. 

It’s trying to steal first base and then feeling guilty about such an insane idea, but still needing to fulfill that need. 

(give me a break I live in the Baseball capital of the world and we’re in the playoff’s)

It’s needing more in life, while still being extremely happy with where you’re at, but others losing the heartbeat in the message and crying out words of guilt at you.  It’s believing what they say.

It’s believing that you have to steal first to get anywhere instead of getting there outright and on your own.  It’s thinking that first base holds any merit at all instead of home plate, where by the way is where you start from. 

~And this is where I lose track of mind and suddenly end this very random post suddenly without really wrapping up the whole point.  You’re welcome~