Etsy Texas Crafters 5th Monday CyberMonday Sale!

You know that Texans love to celebrate and that we celebrate anything and everything. So let's celebrate.


The Etsy Texas Crafters has a wonderful sale on the 5th Monday of each month.

Most months don’t have a fifth Monday. When a month does have a fifth Monday we celebrate with a $5.00 sale.

Now to add a little more excitement the 5th Monday of November is the end of the Black Friday Sale weekend.

Search using the tag "ETC5" for items that cost $5.00 or click on Armadillo Tex on the left side near the top.



Click here to read more!

Black Friday Site-Wide Sale on Etsy

Etsy is having a site-wide sale Friday, November 27, 2009 through Monday, November 30, 2009.

Use the tag "EtsyHolidaySale" to search for items on sale.

To get to my shop click on “Etsy Store” on the left side of the page along the top.
Click here to read more!

Pre Black Friday Sale

The Etsy Trade-a-Holics team is hosting a fantastic, pre-Black Friday $10 and under sale!

Starting this Friday, many shops will have items on sale for $10 and under!

Beat the holiday rush and snap up some great deals!

Use the tag "TRADE10" to search for sale items!

click on this link for a list of participating shops.

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6353840



Click here to read more!

Epilepsy Awareness An Interview With Adrian E

I have mentioned several times that November is Epilepsy Awareness Month.  In keeping with that theme, I have been working on some interviews.  I speak publicly to help spread Epilepsy Awareness and I will be interviewing friends who do the same thing.

I met Adrian E. for the first time in March 2006 in San Antonio, Texas.  Adrian has epilepsy and he is committed to helping others with epilepsy.

 

November is Epilepsy Awareness Month and I'm hoping this picture will kick up that awareness. No, I'm not injured. It's me in 1996 at UNM Albuquerque's Epilepsy Center getting an EEG for the MEG & MR Spect research study they were doing. My participation in that study went on to provide important information about a condition that over 3 million Americans live with.

What is the "MEG & MR Spect" research study?
The MEG and MR Spec were two studies; one using the Magnetoencephalogram (MEG) and the other using Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MR Spec). It was performed at the University of New Mexico Albuquerque and done in 1996.

An EEG was performed prior to the MEG to get a baseline of my brain's activity. The EEG was an "all-day-all night" version but it was to look for spike anomalies and not actual seizures. There was no need to wean off my medications for any part of these studies.

MEG is a non-evasive, clean, and painless technique of measuring electrical activity in the brain without the use of electrodes like an EEG. The test involves the performing of an MRI prior to the MEG that is longer than a routine MRI (about 90 minutes vs 45 for a routine one). This is because very fine, well detailed images of the brain are needed. The images of the MRI are combined with the data from the MEG and form a 3D EEG (so to speak).

The MEG portion involves sitting in a special room where the subject can just dose off while a cylindrical object the size of a beer keg rests on the subject's scalp. Unlike the loud noise that anyone who has an MRI can attest to, the MEG is nearly silent and lasts about an hour or two.

MR Spec is used not to get a physical image of the brain, as an MRI would, but to gather a chemical composition of what the human brain is made up of. At this facility, the MR Spec looked larger than an MRI machine and, it turns out, much louder than an MRI. The test was about as long as a routine MRI, about an hour, but industrial grade earplugs were necessary to prevent hearing loss.

Do you know how your participation benefitted others?
It's been 13 years since these studies were performed but just three years ago, researchers in San Diego were testing a new use for the MEG. The Wada test is the standard by which memory and language functions are tested for people seeking epilepsy surgery. But the Wada has some serious risks, most notable being stroke and hemorrhage of the arteries below the brain. A new function of the MEG was being tested to see if it could possibly determine memory and language function of the patient without the risks that come with a Wada test. It looks like an alternative to the Wada could come in the next decade. (BTW, I participated in that San Diego study too.)

Was there a risk?
All in all, the risks involved were so minor; I had no problem participating in these studies.
 
Do you do anything else to help support Epilepsy Awareness?
I am an Epilepsy Advocate; I am a HOPE Mentor for the San Diego Epilepsy Foundation and educate public and private entities about epilepsy. Click here to read more!

"God Blessed Texas" Treasury

I am very proud of this Treasury featuring items from the Etsy Texas Crafters.  I hope Y'all agree.

Click here to read more!

My Treasury "Aware in Texas"

Here is a picture of the "Aware in Texas" Treasury featuring members of the Etsy Texas Crafters Team.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=92948

Click here to read more!

I Won!!

I would like you to pretend that I posted this a week ago. I have been so busy trying (not necessarily succeeding) to get everything done. I finally took pictures so that I could share my gifts with you. So please pretend that I posted this last week.

I would like to thank Etsy Stalkers and Meant 2b Cherished Jewelry as well as StellaPearl for making this blog post happen.


I am a person who never wins the door prize. I just don't. I entered 2 blog giveaways in October and promptly forgot about them. I knew I wasn't going to win. They fooled me. I won both giveaways.

I won on the Etsy Stalkers blog giveaway. You just have to see this chainmaille bracelet from Meant 2b Cherished Jewelry

http://www.m2bc.artfire.com/

I love it. there are so many colors in the bracelet that I can wear it with anything, even my T-shirt from the National Epilepsy Walk last year. You knew that I would mention Epilepsy in my blog.

I also won a gorgeous Chrysanthemum hairpin from StellaPearl http://www.etsy.com/shop/stellapearl


The box it came in was so cool. I took pictures of the whole opening the box process for you.

That was fun!!

Click here to read more!

Busy, Busy, Busy

This past week or two have been real busy for me. I'm not sure if I mentioned it, but November is Epilepsy Awareness Month. (LOL, that's all I have done, I mention it constantly). I have been promoting Epilepsy Awareness on my Facebook page and on Twitter. I have also been promoting the Epilepsy Awareness items in my shop.

I also had a goal for Treasuries this month. I was going to have a Treasury going at all times. I did real good until last night. I have been getting Treasuries within about 10 hours of my expiration. But last night I was sleeping on the job. Literally. The Treasury opened up at about 3 am on the West Coast. I didn't sleep much the night before and I stayed up until 11. Oops, I missed it. But there is always another Treasury and that is what I am doing right now. I am watching that number in the other IE window get smaller and smaller.

This Treasury will feature Awareness items from the Etsy team that I just joined. Etsy Texas Crafters. I have spent most of my computer time today at the team site setting up my page and reading all the info they have on their site.

I am also excited because I found the candles I have been looking for so that I can make one of my "Reflections" to sell in my shop. Look for it in a day or two, unless I get sidetracked.

Gotta Go, that number sure is getting close. Click here to read more!

"Be Aware" Treasury

I curated a treasury of Awareness items. Please visit the Treasury and click on each item and leave a comment. Show it some love and maybe we can make the Front Page. It was fun doing this so I may do it more often and with the different ribbon colors.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=92107

If you or someone you know has an item for the next Treasury please send me the link.

Click here to read more!

FFEST Treasury By Rose Works Jewelry

I have been featured in a treasury by Rose Works Jewelry.  Thanks for including me in this FFEST Treasury. Click here to read more!

Epilepsy Awareness Month: Epilepsy Facts

November is Epilepsy Awareness month. I want to do as much as I possibly can to help support and spread Awareness of this misunderstood and often misdiagnosed disorder. I will blog about Epilepsy this month to give you information that you probably don't know.



I will also have specials in my shop every day. I will be drastically reducing the price of one purple item for 24 hours. Check back every day to see when your favorite is on sale.

Click here to shop:



Epilepsy is sometimes referred to as a "storm in the brain" and that is a pretty good description. Epilepsy is a disorder characterized by episodes of greatly increased neural activity in the brain. During a seizure, a person may experience strange sensations and emotions, convulsions, muscle spasms, and loss of consciousness. Neurons may emit signals as many as 500 times a second during these episodes, much faster than the normal rate of about 80 times a second. that is over 6 times the normal rate. Basically, the electrical activity in your brain goes into maximum overdrive. That's why most people fall into a very deep sleep after a seizure. Their brain has just run a marathon.

Now for some facts and figures:

About 1 in 100 people in the US have experienced seizures or have been diagnosed with epilepsy. If you know more than 100 people chances are that you know someone with epilepsy.

There are more than 40 different kinds of seizures. Hundreds of different epilepsy syndromes (disorders characterized by a specific set of symptoms) have been identified.

Currently available treatments can control seizures at least some of the time in about 80% of persons with epilepsy. However, about 600,000 persons with epilepsy in the United States have intractable seizures, and another 400,000 receive inadequate relief from available treatments.

Here are links to a few good sites that I use regularly for information:

https://www.cureepilepsy.org/

http://www.talkaboutit.org/

http://www.epilepsyadvocate.com/

http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/ Click here to read more!

First Epilepsy Awareness Treasury

I curated a Treasury this morining:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=91489

Click here to read more!

Epilepsy Awareness Month

November is Epilepsy Awareness Month.  I have been working long, hard hours on purple items for Epilepsy Awareness for my store.  I listed several last night and there are still a lot of listings to finish.  I really love the Swarovski Crystal Snowflakes that I made into earrings.  I didn't realize how beautiful they would be in Violet.

I also listed the "Debbie" bracelet.  It is made using Czech Fire Polished beads.

I also listed this anklet.

I am increasing my donation percentage for November from 10% of the sale price to 15%.  I will be donating to Nevada Family Ties.  I really like their organization.  I will write more about them in a later blog.  I will be volunteering my time to help local families affected by epilepsy.  Exciting things are happening in Nevada.  We are trying to open a chapter of the Epilepsy foundation in Las Vegas, among other things.  Since I don't believe that I will be asked to speak professionally for Epilepsy Awareness, I need to do something to help.

Keep checking my blog this month because I will be having different sales all month.  I am also going to blog about epilepsy several times this month.  I have learned so much about epilepsy since I was diagnosed 4 years ago. 

Click here to read more!