Ducky Day

Rubber Ducks are cool.  I love their funny little body and the ingenious way they have grown from simple little yellow ducks to ninjas, cowboys, Nurses, and more. You can find a lot of ducky designs in my shop.

Jim Henson popularized rubber ducks in 1970, performing the songs “Rubber Duckie” and “DUCKIE” as Ernie, a popular Muppet from Sesame Street. Ernie frequently spoke to his duck and carried it with him in other segments of the show. On a special occasion, Little Richard performed the song.[1]

I have some that have glow in the dark, some that are devils, and a couple that are very tiny that came from China this spring.

Why do I like ducks?

I am a Mom and for one reason or another, I have found that we have brought into our family lots of other kids that have needed a place to call home for a while.

A long time ago, a good friend of mine was going through a hard time and had to go to AA to recover from a drinking problem.  One day he was telling me about something he learned that really helped him learn to let go of the world’s problems.  Here’s the story:

A man had a hard time keeping track of his life and went to a Monastery to find some peace. He asked a monk who seemed to be the wisest to help him with this problem.  The monk nodded and handed him a bottle.   When the man looked inside the bottle he saw a small yellow duck. Puzzled he asked the monk what he was supposed to do with the duck in the bottle.  The monk replied, ” You must get the duck out of the bottle. “  The man smiled, as he had already read up on the tricks of the zen masters.  This duck in the bottle was one of the many lessons, so he took the duck and the bottle back to his room and for hours, then days, then weeks tried to figure out how to get the duck out of the bottle without breaking the bottle.

At last the man was exhausted from trying to solve the puzzle and came to find the monk once more. ” I can not get this duck from the bottle without killing the duck or breaking the bottle. I have tried and learned only that there is no right or wrong answer. So surely this must be your lesson. ”  The monk shook his head and handed the man back the bottle and told him to returned in 2 weeks.

Two weeks later the young man returned again. This time with a huge smile on his face. I figured it out! I know how to find peace!

He handed the bottle with the duck inside back to the monk and said ;

“It’s not my duck and it’s not my bottle”.
At last that was the answer.  This was a good lesson on not taking on other people’s baggage and making it our own, by allowing them to distract us from our peace.

When all of the kids would come to us, I began calling them my ducks. Each of them were my flock grew large through the years.  I accepted them all with their backstories and issues just as I did my own children. There are no ugly ducklings in my flock, only beautiful and wonderful souls. Each of them has been told the story about the ducks in the bottle, learning how to let go of the baggage other people would like to put on them and pass it back, not their ducks or their bottles. Then I have watched as each one of my little ducks has managed to come out of their own bottles as wise, caring, sensitive, loyal, and witty young people whom I admire greatly. Now my ducks each wear a different hat, but will always be my little duck.

Happy Ducky Day!

~ Crysta ~

Back to Blogging!

00001Hey everyone, I took a little break from blogging to catch up with family who were here visiting. But I am back and ready to get back into the blogging spirit. If you want to know more about what we were up to while we were gone, you can check out my blog, fireflydance.net for more about me and my family.

This week at Morning Tempest Studios we have been introducing our Summer creations. We said goodbye to a few of our favorites, like the Crazy Circus and the Dark Faerie tale collection.  And we have been enjoying some Pirate adventures and beach themed designs.

Don’t worry.  If you reaaaaallly loved something that we don’t have in the shop anymore, just email me and I can make a special listing just for you with your favorite design.

Now I have been gone from blogging for a while and I am wondering, what features to the blog do you actually like?  What do you want me to keep doing and what do you want me to just stop all together?

Here’s a quick look at what’s new this week:

Stacking Starfish is Sweet!

Our new shark bibs and burp cloths take a bite out of summer

Morning Tempest’s donation to the Victims of the Tornado in OK

I have been trying to think of how I can help those people who have lost everything in the tornado in OK. Today I am making a pledge to donate 10% of the profits of everything sold in my shop for the next 2 weeks to the Red Cross who is out there right now digging through the rubble and feeding everyone out there helping and those who have lost their homes.   I would send baby clothes, but I think what those people need right now is immediate help.

I urge you, please make a donation to your charity organization, church, synagogue, or directly to the Red Cross.

Here are a few items you can find in my shop to get you started.

5-22 ads

Taking back Etsy – Sellers united!

Every day I have a great group of new friends who are now on the look out for resellers and faithfully reporting them.  We have found more than we ever imagined and we can only think that the disease of resellers on Etsy.com has spread deep. But we aren’t giving up!

Coming soon, we will be starting a new team on Etsy.com for verified crafters. Thanks to some great suggestions, we will be very careful of who is and isn’t accepted into the team, we will create a team logo that can be added to Team member shops letting buyers know that this shop has been deemed a true Indie Artist and is not a reseller. Our mission is to support true Indie Artists and work together to report resellers.

Today’s tip for spotting a reseller: Shops that carry a variety of items that have no mastered craft in common, for example jewelry, knit infinity scarves,  lace boot-cuffs, and crochet headbands.  A shop that has many different techniques all gathered in one retail area (accessories for example) is more than likely a reseller.  Look at the quantities available on the items and the time it takes them to ship out.

Interested in joining the team?  Please let me know by posting a comment here with your shop name and as soon as the Team is set up, I will contact you with information on how to join.

What’s a reseller?

A reseller is a person or company that sells items that are not handmade.  Many resellers sell mass produced items and pass them off as either handmade or vintage items. Often a reseller will list a high quantity of one item that is listed very cheap because they don’t have to take the time to actually make each item as we Indie Crafters do ourselves.

Want to share your experiences?  Please feel free to post them here in the comments.  Together we can make changes!

Friday’s Baby -Wisteria Design Studio

Wisteria_Newborn Photo

This week’s Friday’s baby comes to us from Wisteria Design Studio. I love the gentle sweetness of this photo. We don’t get a lot of Daddy shots and this incredible moment just really touched my heart. When my daughter was an infant she was all about her Daddy.  He would lay her across his arm, just like this and she would fall right to sleep.  This is a special photo and I am very thrilled that photographer, Lisa Anderson shared it with us.

 

A little about photographer, Lisa Anderson:

My name is Lisa Anderson, the owner of Wisteria Design Studio – Graphic Design & Photography! I’m from Ventura County, CA. I have a background in Graphic Design, and have always passion for taking photos… so it was only a matter of time before I ventured into the world of Photography. This is my first year of doing Photography professionally, and I still have a lot to learn, but am enjoying every second of it :-) I specialize in Families, Maternity, Couples and Landscape/Nature Photography. I love to use natural light, and do most of my shoots outdoors.  I try to make my sessions, and my photos unique, personal and fun! My hope is that when you view my images, you are able to get a glimpse of the beautiful inner souls of those I photograph.

Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WisteriaDesignStudio

Website: http://www.wisteriadesignstudio.com

Fine Art Photography Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/WisteriaPhotoPrints

Thank you Lisa!

~ Crysta ~

If you would like to be featured as our Friday’s Baby photographer, or have a baby you would like to share, please email me at Sales@MorningTempestStudios.com

 

Wordless Wednesday – My co-workers

45119_457398417629434_951811272_n

Here’s a picture of one of my favorite co-workers here at Morning Tempest Studios. His name changes often.. zombie Steve Jobs, Herbert, Green guy. But he’s one of my favorites here.. next to the cow eating plant.

#FitchTheHomeless:Take a stand against Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries!

Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries is a douchebag. His declaration of not wanting “not so cool” kids or women who wear size large to wear his company’s clothes, has sparked outrage. This imaginative man, Greg Karber has come up with a great response. We are joining Greg and many other in our effort to readjust the Abercrombie & Fitch brand.

He’s giving their clothes to the homeless and we are going to help him! We would love it if you could watch the video and donate to the homeless as well. Then Facebook, Twitter, and blog about how you made an effort to protest hate by giving. Use hashtag #FitchTheHomeless in your responses.

Is this exploiting the homeless? No way, donations are down in this economy. The donations the homeless have relied on for years have been downsized, money is being used to provide medical care and food. Donations of clothing are always welcome. Feel like you want to explain why you are donating A & F’s clothing? Go ahead, I am sure they would be amused to give Mike Jeffires and his band of minions a precious finger in a photo for you to pass along as a stand against hate and intolerance.