Lose a life, gain a life and communication

An interesting subject line don’t you think? 

Lose a life was referring in particular to those poor people who struggle during Hurricane Irene.  My thoughts and prayers go out to the loved ones who lost so much and are now having to cope and come to terms with the devastation around their homes.  Even though Irene was later called a tropical storm she still managed to create chaos.

Sea Aglow, a scene after the storm?
by
Yankeegirl

Gain a life refers to a blessed addition to our family last week.

After eagerly awaiting his birth my only daughter gave us a miracle called Ernie! I know I am biased and that every parent/grandparent states that their little ones are the best, but, really, he is!!  Sorry, had to say that

Baby Sandsniper, perfect picture for babies’ room
by
Sixsisters

Mini Fold Book, memories can be stored here
by
Mister PenQuin

Communication? Now this part of the subject line refers to my new acquisition!  A mobile phone, an IPhone to be exact.  I fought it for a long time but when you see all your kids with one, well as the saying goes, if you can’t beat them, join them!  Now that I have one I wonder how on earth I managed without.

Felted woolen Iphone case, perfect!
by
JNOriginals

Each of the above titles can be followed with the word ‘hope’.  ‘Hope’ after the ravages and losses of the storm, ‘hope’ when a new life is born and ‘hope’ that I can get my head around my new mobile!!

So there you have the latest news of events that have an impact on my life.

Trouble and Strife…

In the UK you can claim to be a real cockney if you were born within the sound of Bow Bells.

“St Mary-le-Bow is the church of the ubiquitous ‘Cockney‘. Indeed to be an authentic cockney you must be born within the sound of ‘Bow Bells.’ The term ‘cockney, was originally applied to a small or misshapen egg, which was sometimes referred to as a cock's egg. The Oxford English Dictionary claims that the first use of the word as a reference to native Londoners was in 1521, when it was used by writer Whitinton. In 1617 John Minsheu wrote in his Ductor in Linguas that the word originated thus. 'A cockney or cockny, applied only to one born within the sound of Bow bell, that is in the City of London, a tearme coming first out of this tale. That a citizen's sonne riding with his father in the country, asked when he heard a horse neigh what the horse did; his father answered "neigh." Riding further he heard a cock crow, and said: "Does the cock neigh too?"' Whatever the origin of the term it was intended as a term of flattery for it was applied contemptuously by rural people to native Londoners who lived by their wits as opposed to by their muscle.”

Following on from that interesting fact Cockney folk used to have a language all of their own which was spoken in rhyme.  For instance, trouble and strife meant wife.  Apples and pears stood for stairs.

Rhyming slang phrases are derived from taking an expression which rhymes with a word and then using that expression instead of the word. For example the word "look" rhymes with "butcher's hook". In many cases the rhyming word is omitted - so you won't find too many Londoners having a "butcher's hook" at this site, but you might find a few having a "butcher's".

Cockney rhyming slang originated in the East End of London. Some slang expressions have escaped from London and are in popular use throughout the rest of Britain. For example "use your loaf" is an everyday phrase for the us in UK, but not too many people realise it is Cockney Rhyming Slang ("loaf of bread: head").

Further examples for your amusement and interest (the phrase is written first, with the word that is actually said aloud is on brackets and the translation comes last!)

Dickie dirt (dickie)= shirt
Almond rocks (almonds)= Socks
Whistle and flute( whistle)= suit
Jam Jar (Jam)= car
Mickey Mouse (Mickey)= house, can also be Cat and mouse
Dog and bone (Dog)=phone
Trouble and strife (trouble)= wife
China plate (china) = Mate/friend
Moby Dick (moby)= sick
Porky pie (porky/porkies)= lie
Ruby Murray (Ruby) Curry
Adam and Eve (Adam and Eve)= Believe
Cream crackered (crackered)= knackered/tired

That's just a few, so the next time someone uses any of these you might (just) be able to figure out what they're talking about!

Meanwhile, the main reason for this post was not to dwell on Cockney slang but try to move away from all the ‘trouble and strife’ in the world today!  Most recently the terrible fate of those poor young people in Norway who were killed by a deranged madman.  A sad reflection on today’s world when such acts can be perpetrated so easily.  Imagine, someone dresses up as a policeman, a member of the public we have all been taught to respect; a keeper of the peace, law and order!  Only to find this man dressed up as one and then going on a shooting rampage.

For this reason I thought I would post some ‘happy’ pictures of items made by the BBEST team.  Just for a few minutes take you mind of today’s sad world and browse some wonderful talent!

Garden Sunshine by Pocketcomfort

Highly collectible miniature altered art quilt *ACEO measures just 2.5" by 3.5”

Good Day Sunshine by MagdaleneKnits

“I need to laugh and when the sun is out
I've got something I can laugh about
I feel good in a special way
I'm in love and it's a sunny day
Good Day Sunshine”

Sunshine and Shadow flower by Zudagay

This summery flower focal features sculpted petals on a sturdy base and a button center

Fused Glass Night light by Chris1

A fun night light that will make you smile

Garden of Joy by JNoriginals

Just in time to brighten your day is this blossom brooch that will dress up your jacket or sweater, a hat and even a purse!

Hibiscus Flower by Sixsisters

It is a happy looking flower!

So, hopefully, by now you will have had your mind taken off any unpleasantness and had a bubble bath (bubble)= laugh!

V is for .......

'Roses are Red, Violets .....' by sassalynne

........ are Blue, Purple, and even White!

Small Wire Wrapped Amet... kittyd $20.00	VINEYARD Artisan Porcel... eversoDear $60.00	50% OFF SALE ABSTRACT w... TheCreatorsPal... $25.00
Fused Purple Heart Pend... Chris1 $28.00	Silk City Scarf AltheaP $110.00	Butterfly Notebook for ... MisterPenQuin $21.00
Sputnik sea urchin 2.5 ... PixieSupplies $3.25	Lavender Marble Loopy N... CBBasement $8.25	Great Grapes Tea Cup GlitznGlass $18.00
Original Painting, Fine... MysticSilks $195.00	Adorable Lavender Kimon... stitchesbyjuli... $16.00	Handmade Purple Abstrac... circleinthesan... $4.00
Lovely in Lavender Stat... Imaginuity $58.00	LOVESPELL type SOAP - L... ajscountrycott... $4.50	Natural Amethyst Chunk ... FantasyCreatio... $129.95

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

U is for ........

The one thing that can be said about the bbest team is that everyone is an individual.

No duplicates or copying!

In fact, it is fair to say that every item is 

UNIQUE

So, why don't more of us use that tag or description?

Let's see what we can find:

speckled eggs by sixsisters

Hawaiian Shaka Needle Holder by Birose

 

Felted flower ACEO by Yarrow1

Rock'n Chains bracelet from eversoDear

Batik Coffee Cup Cozy by PocketComfort

Woven Glass Platter by Chris1

Scorpion Conch Shell by Pixie Supplies

Cable Knit Neck Collar by CBBasement

Don't forget, for even more unique items search Etsy for

Bbest Team

Tools

We all have many specialized tools that we use in our crafting, and I think we most likely love each of them. It is wonderful to know that the right tool can make us more effective at developing our creations - and especially fun to know that tools on hand can make fabulous art! The BBEST team certainly uses their tools well to develop arts and crafts, and bring amazing skill to their creations - as anyone who browses ETSY with the BBEST tag can see.

One unexpected tool that I can't live without in my crafting is Adobe Photoshop Elements. This is a less expensive version of the Adobe Photoshop, and has been sufficient for many different aspects of digital crafting - as well as helping me manipulate pictures and do online marketing and blog work. Even this "limited capability" software package is very powerful, and despite being able to do some standard photo manipulation I really didn't know how to take advantage of the capabilities of the package. Too many papers to read, too many complex concepts.

Then I found Jessica Sprague. Jessica Sprague is an online scrapbook instructor, and she teaches digital scrapbooking leveraging Adobe's products, among others. I want to introduce you to Jessica's courses - even though they are scrapbook oriented - because they provide some amazing advantages.

First, the online classes are provided for you to take in your own time and schedule. I took about 6 courses (about 8 classes per course) before everything was over, and did about one class session each week.

Second, the classes include a video that you can pause and resume at your leisure, where Jessica shows you every single step of what she is doing with Photoshop. I had the video up and running on my computer in one window, and had Photoshop Elements up in another window. I could stop the video and follow the instructions, restarting when I was ready to go on to the next step.

Third, the classes are available in a variety of formats. For example, I learned with Photoshop Elements, but you can take the classes with Photoshop as well. Even if you take the courses leveraging one format, you can come back later and go through them in the other format, free of charge!

Fourth, the classes are available to you FOREVER. So you can come back to them years after taking them to review a particular concept or remind yourself how things work.

Finally, the classes provide lots of free downloads that give you additional digital materials to work with and even extra support capabilities with Photoshop and associated tools.

I really recommend these digital classes, even though scrapbooking may not be your cup of tea. They are a great way to learn how to get around Photoshop if you are not already super strong with the tool set, and they certainly help to improve your photo handling capabilities as well as give you creative ideas for more!

The classes that I found most informative were Up and Running with Photoshop, Now We're Rockin' with Photoshop, and Digi In Deep.

Leveraging some of the things I learned, I was able to pull together a couple different tributes to the BBEST team's Autumn offerings - and as they say, the possibilities are endless!


Autumn comes alive through the work of the BBEST team, and inspires us to find great gifts to share with all our loved ones. Happy Fall!



These two tribute displays showcase work from the following shops - Asian Expressions, Big Island Rose Designs, ZudaGay, SixSisters, Beth Peardon Productions, PFD Original Art Work, The Creator's Palette, the Knotty Sheep, Aroma Fields, Designs by Christine, and Bags 'N More by Pam.

T is for......

TODAY!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Today is the first day of the rest of your life!  If you haven't taken it seriously before, now is the time to do so.  My mother celebrated her 92nd birthday earlier this year - she is a breast cancer survivor.  She was brave enough to go for a test in spite of her age, and knew in advance what the results would be.  She coped with a prosthesis in spite of her advancing years, and she is still with us.

Pink is the colour for Breast Cancer Awareness, and the Bbest team do pink very well.  Here are just a few of the items that I couldn't fit into an earlier treasury.

gimmebeads

ajscountrycottage

jillstreasurechest

glitznglass

yankeegirl

birose

attackofthevintage

pixiesupplies

 This selection is only just scratching the surface of all that is available.  To find more just search for bbest team and pink.  But most importantly, don't miss a single check.  You just never know.

Enjoy a Little Salsa!

I have thoroughly enjoyed my garden this year, and along with fresh produce, rediscovered the joy of "putting by" some of the vegetables. I had forgotten the great sense of accomplishment in seeing row after row of jars filled with the colors of the garden, now brought indoors for the winter months. The photo to the left is my chili salsa. (I will share my recipe with you at the bottom of this post --and I hope you will enjoy a little different kind of salsa as you read.)

Although putting by the garden produce was once a necessity of life (you couldn't buy canned goods easily), home canning is now seeing a revival because it allows the cook to control the kinds of ingredients that go into the recipe. Although it can be time-consuming, I feel part of a process where I can see clear results -- the fruits of my labor.

Creating of any kind brings that same sense of fulfillment. Perhaps that is one reason there has been such a revival of anything handmade. And, even if you don't make the item yourself, there is a greater sense of enjoyment knowing the ideas, design, work and effort that went into creating that one-of-a-kind item by the hand-crafting of the artisan you buy from.

The Boomers and Beyond Etsy Street Team is comprised of so many talented artists! With the theme of enjoying a little salsa, check out these amazing handmade items you can own -- the fruits of their labors. . . .

Red Green Yellow Fine Viscose Felt by Sassalyne

Hand Crochet Multi Colored Neckwarmer by TheSlipStitch

Red Tulip Original 12 x 12 inch painting by THE BLUE HERON STUDIO

Fused Glass Heart Magnet by Chris1

Pathway Original Watercolor by sixsisters

Red Textured Serving Plate by artsielady

Red Jasper Pendant with copper tree trunk by yarrow1

The First Allessandra bag ... roomy, fashionable and fun by scottieacres

Burnt Orange Long Scarf by stitchesbyjulie

Lampwork Disc Bead by SusanLambert

Necklace red coral and silver tassel by PixieMarket

Marbled Alchemy Business Card Holder by Kimbuktu

Raspberry Flower Focal with Button Center by ZudaGay

Native American Beaded Earrings by jstinson

I hope you enjoyed the salsa selections from the Bbest Team.  Now, for the recipe I promised:

Canned Chili Salsa

1 lb. onions, chopped

2 lbs. anaheim chili peppers

5 lbs. fresh tomatoes

3 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 cup white vinegar

Peel the fresh peppers by roasting in a 400 degree oven until they blister to loosen the skins. Discard the seeds and chop the peppers. Wash the tomatoes and dip for 30-60 seconds in boiling water to loosen the skins. Dip in cold water, slip off the skins, and remove the cores. Coarsely chop the tomatoes and combine all the ingredients in a large saucepan. heat to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Fill sterilized pint jars, leaving 1/2" head space. Adjust the lids and process in a boiling water bath for 19 minutes at 4,001-6,000  feet altitude; 21 minutes at 6,001-8,000 feet altitude. Remove from the hot water and set out of a draft for 24 hours before moving to assure sealing.