A Year Gone *poof!* .. so what's new?

Yep .. it's been a whole year (plus a few days) since I last blogged about NRD. What can I say .. I'm a busy busy Momma!
Still crafting :) And the creativity has been flowing! Lots of new items came out of my gray matter, including a lot more Geekery! My husband has been an awesome support .. even though I *KNOW* my bins, bags, and "barely organized chaos" drives him bonkers. And I'm sure that my latest project (Nancy's Naturals Shoppe - click here to see it) must really drive him crazy because it's even more crafty goodness in the house.
I've been debating making a website (outside of Blogger, Etsy, and facebook) for a while now because with both shops and the kids, the house, life in general who has time. Apparently me because my crazy brain had me starting a new website for NRD. Granted, I'm still working on it so it isn't "live" yet. Hopefully it will be in about a week, then I'll post the page here for all to see :)
Well, TTFN (as Tigger would say) :)

US Post Office Delivers A Major Blow to Small Businesses

Ok .. so I went to the Post Office today to mail out a Dalek hat that they LOST back in December. It was international mail, so no tracking number. The person that ordered it let me know in the beginning of January as he was giving it a little extra time to see if maybe there was a delay. Nope, no delay. Lost package. So I started making another one. In my Etsy shop the shipping costs for a Dalek hat are: US: $4.00 Canada $4.25 EU and Europe non-EU $6.15 $6.75 for everywhere else in the world It may seem a little high but it actually was costing me $7.68 to mail everywhere but the US and Canada. I ate the extra dollar or so. Today I went to the post office and it cost me a whopping #12.75 to mail the SAME hat to Italy! That's all that was in the package! Just the hat! Can you say utterly gobsmacked?! I asked the lovely lady at the post office (and no, I'm not being sarcastic. She's really nice) why it cost so much. SHe said that the cost of ALL international shoipping went through the roof that even the people that work there were surprised it went up like that. They were even MORE surprised to see Canada lumped in with the rest of the international mail like that. It used to be cheaper to mail to Canada than the rest of the world, but now it's all the same. So now there's the dilema, I can't charge $6.75 for shipping and have to pay $12.75 to ship. But to charge even $11 to ship an item that costs $35.00? I'm going to lose a lot of sales that way! Thanks a lot US Postal Service! You're effectivel killing small businesses by charging ridiculously high shipping costs and killing potential sales for people like me that have people outside the US interested in our wares! You Suck!

And so it came to pass that Prof B. Worm had passed away

Many of you might not know about Professor B. Worm. He was the "Founder and Head Cheese of the World-Unrenowned Worm University". I myself have never actually met the man. I met his blog, some time ago, when I first started my adventures in "blog-dom".

His name was Charlie. He started his blog many years before my journey. So when I first got hooked on his blog I had a lot of catching up on. Wow, could that man write!

I havent really been on my blog since forever. And my last post was more of a rush job to get the latest round of Photographer's Delight in. After I logged out I thought "Damnit! I forgot to check and see how Cha-lee is doing!" (Yes, that's the way I hear it in my mind when I thought of his blog). I meant to log back on but was likely side tracked by laundry, the dog needing to go outside, our Munchkin climbing onto something he shouldnt have. And I never got to log back in. Every so often I'd wonder how he was doing. If you didnt know, then I'll tell you .. he'd been really really sick. He kept on blogging through his illness even when he was having trouble seeing.

And so it would go I'd find myself wondering what had happened to Cha-lee and if there had been any more posts at the oddest moments when I couldn't just check the computer - washing dishes, driving the car, in the grocery store, things of that nature.

So tonight I was sitting and crocheting 2 Dalek hats (yes 2 at once, it can be done. I'll show you some time if you're THAT interested) and I thought of Cha-lee and was wondering if he'd blogged his last, or if he was still blogging. The last time I "checked in with Cha-lee" was January, and it would seem that that one was his last blog post. Less than a month later he had passed away. I'm golad I got to read his last blog post when it was still new, and regret not checking in all those other times I had meant to log in (it had been so long I actually had to do a password reset!).

So I will always think of Cha-lee as a well known book that can be read and reread but know that there are sadly no more books in the sequel.

Goodnight, Professor B. Worm

http://thefirstbookoftesticles.blogspot.com/

Photographer's Delight Round 3

Event: Photographer's Delight Round 3!
Runs: 5/March/2012 - 5/May/2012
Where: Here, there, and everywhere I can get a shipment delivered to.
Open to: Photographers Only

Details: If you buy an item to use as a prop and let me use one or two of the pictures to advertise my wares, you'll get your next prop free. (Free prop must be equal toor less than the purchased prop)

Please note that since you will be receiving second purchase free, you wont be allowed to use the FB Fan discount code.

This promo is not limited to just baby items. The first and second props can be from different categories as well. If you request a custom order, the custom order can only be counted as a first item. You can use this promo as many times as you like during the event period.

If you have any questions please send a msg (subject Photographer's Delight) to the NRD FB Admin or via email (nellyrosedesigns@yahoo.com)

Gearing up to relaunch!

NRD on Etsy is currently closed (this weekend) while I get ready to relaunch. Coming back with a vengence, both stronger and fresher.

The shop will reopen on the 16th of January and the "official" relaunch will be a month later after the photo shoot and editing .. Stay Tuned! :)

(And as always, stay in the loop on facebook! *Go To The Facebook Page* )

LTNS Blogspot!

Been so busy I haven't had 2 seconds to myself to sit and blog!

Well, we're all moved into the new place as of the first of August. Our issue is finding room to fit everything since we went down in sq ft and in closet space. We've gone through all the boxes, unpacked and repacked some things. And I'm missing a box of finished crochet goodies that all I had to do was photograph and then post for sale on Etsy :~( Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! (ala Lucielle Ball)

There were also, unfortunately, other things in the box like my pretty colored buttons for some of the things that needed to be photographed. And before we left the old place both my husband and I did more than one walk through each! So disappointed!

*SIGH*

Trying not to let it get me down, so I've been working on some new things (check out the shop and the facebook page). Hopefully I'll have things to put up on Etsy as well as a stash because I'd like to do that Fall craft fair again that I did last November. Hopefully being in a new place with a new out look will get me going to get things done .. in a timely manner! Easier said than done with school back in full swing and a teething toddler. But I'll get there! :)

Busy little bee

Busy little bee .. YEP, that's me!

Got the approval on the new place and we are OUTTA here! We moved in on the 23rd of December 2008. In that time the neighborhood has gone so down hill so fast that Olympic skiers are amazed at the speed! From people beating the crap out of each other in their driveways, to the nut bar that beat up his girlfriend with a hammer, to having the street closed by the cops and a mobile CSI unit to investigate a few houses down. Yeah .. it's time to get OUT!

So I've been packing and packing. And throwing away a lot of things. And deciding what furniture goes, what stays, and what will go on the curb. Note to self: Don't forget to clear out the attic!! We can pick up the keys on Friday but won't officially start the lease until the 1st. Our new landlord said we could move in a few boxes ahead of time if we needed to. Might take over some of the clothes and boxes of dishes and things - small stuff we can use our van for. It'll also make it so we might save a trip in the UHaul too!

I feel bad for our duplex neighbors though since they own their 1/2. They are the nicest, sweetest people you could ever meet! They have kids too. And this neighborhood just isn't safe anymore! They're the only people I ever bothered getting to know and I'm actually going to miss living next door to them!