Mystery Monday - April 12 - Week 2

Come on guys..............don't ya wanna play anymore? :) I know most of you, if you are like me, are spending more time outside and less on the laptop, but I promised to get this going again so I shall.

Here's a recap of last weeks announcement:

Each Monday a new photo will be posted. Follow the same as before, comment here on the blog that you are participating, and then email me your guess. Every Monday a new photo will be posted but we will only have one winner per month. All the responses will be put in the drawing, and yes I am still going to put in everyone's name, right or wrong, it's That you played that counts! :)

At the end of the month I will draw 1 (one) name from all those who emailed me a guess for all the months photos, (yes you can do one week, two weeks, etc or all!) and the winner will get a special Mystery Monday gift just for them. This way I don't get overwhelmed and no one will get shortchanged. I am doing this because I know it's great to get something just for you because you are special, and my readers are special to me. I found out that this is a world wide feeling when participating in the OWOH event as I choose to make something special for each of my winners. In fact they each got two gifts! So I want to continue this on through out the year which will carry us through to the next OWOH event.

I know many of you have found my blog and become followers through that event but maybe didn't win the giveaway so this is like another chance, or many more! :)

So I hope you all will continue to participate, and don't worry, if you won before, that's ok, please keep playing. If I draw a name of a previous winner I will give you a 'consolation prize' and draw a new winner so you still have a chance too!

So far we only have one guess for last weeks photo, you can still go back and look at it and put in a guess for that to. Here's that photo.

and now for this weeks................................



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Cherry Pink!

Do you have an Etsy shop? Are you using Statsy? It lets you know when you are on the front page. I've been so busy I didn't even know my Pink Folded Anise Flower Bead was in a treasury!
If you'd like to sign up to be notified when you are on the front page so you never miss it, go here and do a one minute sign up! Read more about their features here.

It was curated by my fellow Team T International member Jill of Thread Rare who makes beautiful silk Bridal and Couture Hair Accessories like this one.



This treasury is called Cherry Blossom Festival and even though I'm not much of a pink fan, this is beautiful to me. Perhaps because I spent yesterday afternoon under a Weeping Almond Tree and had a lovely afternoon in the park in the mid 80's! having an early dinner there while listening to the birds sing, enjoying the green grass underfoot and smelling the sweet fragrance of the other blooming trees in the Park. Such loveliness against the blue sky! This tree bloomed three weeks earlier than last year, mainly because we had normal Spring weather. It seems we went from tons of snow this winter , up until just a few weeks ago, to going into the 60's then 70's and this past week its be almost breaking records everyday! mid to high 80's, we had to put in at least one air conditioner last night because I can't acclimate that fast! There was a great breeze, by hot, from the south that was not cooling but going up to 30 miles an hour it even pushed a stained glass box off my dresser that was about 8 feet from the open window!

It looks so lovely against that blue, blue sky and I so enjoyed my time under this tree, and glad I got there before it dropped all its petals. They were falling on me like a gentle rain as I sat under it, reading and watching the others going by with their babies and doggies, enjoying this lovely warm Spring Day. A great way to end the last day of Passover.

I am totally not sure of this tree but I know that they have a whole bunch of cherry trees that will be blooming in the next few weeks so I know it isn't that, my best guess is that this is a Weeping Almond tree. They actually have two and for years I had driven by and said how I would love to have lunch under one of them. But they bloom and fade so quickly, I'd say within a week that I would come back and they were empty of blossoms and were in full leaf. Each year went by and I was disappointed , same thing always happened. But finally last year and again this year I was able to make my little dream come true!

I can't tell you how magical it was to sit under this beauty, which must be very old as I've never seen one this size, it is as large as a full grown Weeping Willow, which grow along the banks of the stream that I can over look while sitting under there. It was wonderful spending hours there, reading, eating, watching people walk by, and always with a smile, like 'I wish I'd thought to bring chairs and a lunch! ' :) I won't wax poetic to much more about this tree, but you should know I love trees in general and besides the Willow, Olive and Birch this has got to be my favorite tree! And here is a glimpse of what it's like to sit under it. I even took videos so I can relive it during the year, especially in the cold winter months as I long for Spring!

Go out and enjoy Spring! You've been waiting so long!

New Online Magazine - Glo

Love this, Eco-friendly, easy to read and you can save what you like without killing one tree! Check it out.

MSN, Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. and BermanBraun Unveil Glo, a Premium Online Lifestyle Destination for Women

New site features an innovative design that creates the feel of a magazine experience on the Web for women seeking style, beauty and lifestyle content.

REDMOND, Wash.; LOS ANGELES; and NEW YORK — April 6, 2010 — MSN, Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. (HFM U.S.) and BermanBraun today announced the launch of Glo (www.Glo.com), a lifestyle site that focuses on style, beauty, living and relationship content through a uniquely engaging and dynamic experience. Glo provides users with everyday inspiration and practical ways to attain their best life. It combines the imagery and feel of a magazine with the appeal of a dynamic site such as WONDERWALL, to offer an online destination that is neither traditional Web nor print, but a unique escape for women on the Web.

Glo utilizes a unique vertical scrolling method, a feature that is exclusive to the site as an online lifestyle destination. Glo presents its topics daily with a fresh and in-the-know perspective, filled with glossy, full-screen photo galleries, videos, and unique features. Glo features original content from its editorial team, HFM U.S. properties, MSN properties and relevant content from popular lifestyle sites including Sugar/Sugar Entertainment, LimeLife, Modelinia, Remodelista and more. Key features of Glo include the following:

- Scrapbook. This feature allows readers to save a custom page of their favorite images and ideas from the site, just as if they were tearing them out of a magazine.

- Sharing tools. Sharing tools are included on each page and allow readers to share articles, videos and more with friends and family via e-mail, Twitter, Facebook and Windows Live.

- Bing integration. Bing, the new generation of search from Microsoft, is deeply integrated throughout Glo. Bing is a decision engine that offers a faster way to make more informed choices.

- Facebook. This feature allows customers to comment on articles and videos they see on Glo using their Facebook login information.

- Full-screen photo galleries. Glo is loaded with visually compelling, full-screen photo galleries, covering a range of topics that are better seen than read, such as the best shade of red lipstick and chic body art.

The design, programming and operations of the new digital brand will be spearheaded by BermanBraun and HFM U.S. Glo is accessible at www.Glo.com, as well as through the MSN home page, editorial programming across the MSN network, and across HFM U.S. online properties.

MSN will lead the advertising sales efforts along with HFM U.S. on selected accounts. Major brands such as Vaseline, JCPenney and Fox Broadcasting Company have signed on as inaugural advertisers.

“We are very happy to be partnering with MSN on the launch of the Glo Web site on behalf of the Vaseline^® Aloe Fresh lotion line,” said Srini Sripada, marketing director, Unilever Skin Care. “Our goal is to communicate the light, refreshing sensory benefits of the line, and we believe that Glo provides a unique opportunity to reach women who are looking for light, fresh content. We are excited to be engaging in this endeavor.”

Anne Weintraub, who has held various positions at ELLE including former online director, has been appointed as the executive editor of Glo. She has deep editorial experience running online lifestyle experiences dating back to 1999 when she was the founding editor of Beautyjungle.com. Weintraub also worked as a beauty editor at Vogue, and as a freelance journalist for magazines such as InStyle, Harper’s Bazaar and Self.

Women spend more time online looking at lifestyle content than any other category, with 68 percent saying that going online is a great way to relax and 45 percent marking it as the most peaceful part of their day.¹ For MSN, lifestyle is among the most popular content categories, reaching more than 8.2 million unique users a month. MSN will offer Glo in conjunction with its lifestyle portfolio, including MSN Lifestyle, Delish and MSN Health & Fitness.

“Lifestyle is one of our top content priorities because of its popularity among consumers and advertisers, and Glo is a great addition to our lifestyle portfolio. The launches of the new MSN home page and WONDERWALL have shown us the importance of delivering visually compelling and innovative designs and how quickly we can attract millions of customers using the distribution power of MSN,” said Scott Moore, regional partner executive producer, MSN. “We’re excited to build on our successful partnership with BermanBraun, adding the category branding expertise and panache of HFM U.S. to deliver a compelling new lifestyle experience on MSN.”

“Following our successful partnership with MSN in bringing WONDERWALL to the celebrity entertainment space, we are thrilled to be partnering with Hachette and MSN to create Glo — a new and unique lifestyle brand. We believe the innovative design and distinctive tone of Glo will excite both the online audience and our advertising partners,” BermanBraun partners Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun said in a joint statement.

“Like all publishers, we are exploring different ways to deliver content onto all platforms,” said Alain Lemarchand, president and CEO, Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. “We are very excited about creating a Web-only brand with an original voice that fills an open position in the marketplace. Our collaboration with our two outstanding partners MSN and BermanBraun has been a rich one with each team bringing distinct strengths and voices to the project.”

About BermanBraun
BermanBraun is an independent media company whose three divisions — television, feature film and digital media — create and exploit entertainment content and advertising solutions throughout the world. The Santa Monica, Calif.-based company, founded by principals Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun in January 2007, has separate strategic global alliances with NBC and Microsoft to create and distribute creative content across all platforms.

In February 2009, BermanBraun launched WONDERWALL — the primary celebrity destination on the MSN Network, ranking ahead of TMZ.com and People.com in traffic, with number one user engagement in the celebrity news space. BermanBraun is presently producing two network series for the 2009/2010 television season, including MERCY on NBC and ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE on CBS. BermanBraun is also producing the series IS SHE REALLY GOING OUT WITH HIM? for MTV and SWORDS for The Discovery Channel.

About Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. (HFM U.S.)
Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. (HFM U.S.), www.hfmus.com, is an innovation-driven company with a heritage as strong brand builders, experts and producers of credible content on all platforms including print, Web sites, mobile, television, radio, events, books and other brand extensions. We look to the future and create it, by developing new ideas and directions to deepen relationships making them more rewarding for our communities. Our engaged audiences of over 40 million people and editorial environments deliver rich opportunities for advertisers and partners. We produce brands in the following categories: Fashion, Beauty and Design (ELLE, ELLE DECOR, and ELLEgirl); Women & Wellness (Woman’s Day, Woman’s Day Special Interest Publications); Automotive (Car and Driver and Road & Track as part of Jumpstart Automotive Group); Motorcycling (Cycle World) and Entertainment (Premiere). HFM U.S. is part of Lagardère’s (www.lagardere.com) media division Lagardère Active, a producer of special-interest content in more than 40 countries.

About MSN and Windows Live
Overall, MSN, Windows Live and Microsoft.com attract more than 600 million unique users worldwide per month. With localized versions available globally in 46 markets and 21 languages, MSN is a world leader in delivering Web services to consumers and online advertising opportunities to businesses worldwide.

About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
¹ BabyCenter as cited in “Moms Online: More Influential than Ever,” eMarketer, June 2009


Go to this link to check out the scrapbook, see lower right column. Have Fun!


I will be back posting shortly, need to catch up after my 'Spring Break'!

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Mystery Monday - New and Improved!

Hi, and Happy April! Happy Spring (March 20th) and Happy Monday!

We are back with Mystery Monday, New and improved. I told you last month that it was getting a bit much for me to keep up with this plus my other writing schedule and also to have a winner each week, and to come up with something special for each winner. I got behind on this and for that I do apologize. The OWOH event really set me back and I am just catching up on my special gifts for the winners.

I do want to keep doing this as many of you have expressed the fun you have had each Monday coming by and trying to guess the Mystery Photo, so I want to continue. I've just changed the rules a bit.

Each Monday a new photo will be posted. Follow the same as before, comment here that you are participating, and then email me your guess. Every Monday a new photo will be posted but we will only have one winner per month. All the responses will be put in the drawing, and yes I am still going to put in everyone's name, right or wrong, it's That you played that counts! :)

So, then at the end of the month I will draw one name from all those who emailed me a guess for all the months photos, (yes you can do one week, two weeks, etc or all!) and the winner will get a special Mystery Monday gift just for them. This way I don't get overwhelmed and no one will get shortchanged. I am doing this because I know it's great to get something just for you because you are special, and my readers are special to me. I found out that this is a world wide feeling when participating in the OWOH event as I choose to make something special for each of my winners. In fact they each got two gifts! So I want to continue this on through out the year which will carry us through to the next OWOH event.

I know many of you have found my blog and become followers through that event but maybe didn't win the giveaway so this is like another chance, or many more! :)

So I hope you all will continue to participate, and don't worry, if you won before, that's ok, please keep playing. If I draw a name of a previous winner I will give you a 'consolation prize' and draw a new winner so you still have a chance too!

So to start us all off for the month ( and there will be 4 Mystery Photos this month with the winner announced on May 3) here is your first Photo.

Photo credit Organic Odysseys

Have Fun!



All Photographs are property of blog owner and cannot be used without permission

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Organic Odysseys Published

It was not supposed to be completed until today but Tejae Floyd finished ahead of time and her new book: Polymer Artists Showcase: "An inspiring collection of Polymer Art Designs' has been published. Congratulations Tejae on a wonderful first book! I got news of this at the end of last week but because of pre-scheduled posts and the Holiday I wasn't able to post until now. And no, this isn't an April Fools joke! :)

Oh, why am I telling you about this? Because it is full of wonderful, creative works of art by many Polymer clay artists, some you may know and some you may not know.

Here's a few to whet your appetite:

Tejae Floyd the author of this new book!
Marcia Palmer
Kim Cavender
Laura Timmins
Tina Farthing
Mary Ellen Nichols
Sarah Shriver
Julie Picarello
Valerie Aharoni
Maggie Maggio
Dayle Doroshow
Sharon Palac
Bettina Welker
Eugena Topina
Ponswana
Jana Roberts Benzon
Mags Bonham
Alice Stroppel
Sharon Amir
Lisa Clark

And many more, including your's truly. Tejae chose two of the five pieces I submitted. While neither one is really from my Organic line (using a botanical for texture) one is 'green', my earth friendly recycled light bulb, Pear. I plan on doing a series of these and have finally collected enough blown light bulbs and figured out how to display them to proceed, so look for them to be coming out over the summer.

The other piece featured in the book was from my AlmostARTifacts shop, An Amber and Turquoise paperclip bracelet that was made to help support ongoing awareness of the Holocaust. It is now in the collection of Kathi Gose.

About the book:

Polymer Artists Showcase includes popular well known polymer artists as well as never before published artists. Polymer art photos were collected from contributing artists from all over the globe. This photo book is an eclectic mix of jewelry, sculpture and various polymer art. An inspiring resource. Full color photos include artists name, flickr name and website (if available). A great gift for any polymer enthusiast.

40 pages, full color and can be purchased here from the publishing company or you can get a signed one from my shop shortly for the same price. (I hope that doesn't make me sound too full of myself!) You can also preview the book there in full color.


Something else of interest, today I am being featured on Your Daily Muse News.

So even though last week brought me heartbreaking and devastating news this week I have been blessed with these things that take out the sting a bit and help to bring healing and I am very grateful for that!

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