I have a new website! If you came in through blogger take a pop over to olivebites.com and check it out.

I still have some wonky links and need to add about 100 more items - I am also realizing that the wonderful zoom feature I loved is going to require me to get better photos.

(which I need anyway and I would advise anyone retaking photos this summer to be thinking of neutral and white backgrounds when possible - I have been moving in this direction anyway - it makes it easier to use pictures for other promo material, your website, etc and for blogs and stores that want to grab your pics, plus the items pop off the page)

Etsy's front page is focused exclusively on treasuries with neutral and negative space backgrounds these days (when did that happen - I bet if we could see where the sales dollars spent on Etsy are going we would see some huge category shifts from this never-ending wedding focus).

Their nonstop changes have us feeling like seals (or wait dolphins, I want to be a dolphin) - who are multiplying like rabbits - jumping through hoops that the trainers keep moving (I kind of picture pale hipsters in body gloves saying nah, nah) for buckets of fish that may or may not be empty anyway and are certainly not enough to feed everyone (or anyone).

(and you may need your Little Orphan Annie secret decoder to figure out what the hell I just said there - sorry - it is one of those mornings)

Anyhoo, I will be back tomorrow with Old New Again's giveaway winner announce. I sat down this morning to finish my pricing series and it has kind of been like pulling teeth

(not that I have ever pulled teeth, although my brother did once have a tooth pulled by a dentist who put his knee into my brother's chest and pulled hard, so I am guessing it is not an easy thing to do)

a sure sign that series needs to marinate a while. I am thinking everyone is out enjoying the summer sun these days anyway and not missing it too much.

Also I should mention that mercury is about to go retrograde, so start thinking re - as in redo, remake, reattach (huh?) - you get the idea - not a good time to start new things but an excellent time to go back over old things and redo them. More on this later in the week, too!

xo all - have a magical day!

this is your brain on july ...

I apologize for not finishing up my pricing series this week as promised, I haven't broken a promise in a day or two long time - unless you count the ones I made with my fingers twisted behind my back but we all know those don't count.

This week the heat got the better of me and I think my motivation melted along with most of my remaining brain cells

(I noticed some oddly shaped puddles of pantone's tangerine tango and sodalite blue around the studio - at least things melt pretty here at Olive Bites)

It took herculean efforts on my part to get the things I actually had to get done done if you know what I mean - and herculean is no exaggeration - every time I brazed a locket I felt like John Connor's mom in Terminator 2 - I had to resist the urge to drop my propane and start doing pullups.

So, have a nice weekend everyone - it's going to be another scorcher, but at least we have our water back
(did I say we had to boil our water last week because of a water line break ... and ... did I say that my normal distrust of authority figures telling me everything is now ok, has me still boiling it)

oh and here's a pic of Olive and Ruby trying to beat the heat - their awesomeness is abundantly evident. 
Hope your weekend is filled with same - the awesomeness part I mean. xo

we have the right to know if our food has been genetically engineered

Why the hell can't we get this? ->

The European Union, China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Russia (plus 30 other countries) know what's in their food - why can't Americans get the same labeling.

(of course, anyone who is even half paying attention knows the answer to this one already)

Unbelievably last week, the “Consumers Right to Know About Genetically Engineered Food Act” was defeated in the Senate even though it was supported by over 90% of Americans.

Another bill is headed to the House of Representatives -

labeled the “Farmer Assurance Provision,” though special interests are the only ones it is designed to assure, this proposed policy rider would:

1. Eliminate fundamental and constitutional safeguards of our judicial review system
2. Undermine the USDA’s oversight and approval process and weaken consumer protections
3. Allow powerful chemical companies to dodge reasonable restrictions on potentially hazardous GE crops

There's a link to find your rep and let them know you want this rider defeated HERE 
Find out more about this issue and contact the FDA HERE
You can also see how your senator voted HERE and contact them

happy birthday america!

Happy Birthday America!

236, 237 (where's a calculator or a nine year old when I need one) years ago today our 13 original colonies approved the Declaration of Independence proclaiming our inalienable right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness"- (well except for people of any color other than white and of course, women)

this was heady, important, amazing stuff and the world we know today literally formed around it.

Jefferson's masterpiece also declared "all men are created equal

(even as he owned hundreds of slaves who labored over his 5000 inherited acres)

And so America was born already doing battle with itself over what we know and what we do 

(I lived it this morning myself with a cinnamon bun)

and 236 years later we are maybe still as flawed and divided as we are inspired and connected - for everyone who is sure things are falling apart, there is someone else who knows things are coming together.

Maybe they are both right and maybe it is all a good thing.

For today, let's party like we're 236 - where's my sparkler?!
*pic stolen from suburbancampsite's blog - thanks K&C

Upcycled Table Legs to Picture Hangers Tutorial - when good legs go bad

I snatched up some amazing old table legs and spindles recently with plans to put them in my garden,

but I decided a couple needed to end up indoors so they would last longer!

These are super-simple - just add back hangers and cup hooks and you are all set.

(my camera has been very temperamental lately so my pics are kind of blah, but the spindles are actually pretty cool and simple and add a touch of handmade whimsy to store bought frames)

I think a simple picture grouping with these hangers over a couple frames (not too many) could be amazing. 

Note - I tested these with my lead test kits I use for vintage - if they test for lead you might want to seal with varnish or pass them by especially if you have small children ...

2nd Note - A good feng shui tip for vintage is that old things can carry the vibration of their previous adventures so it is always good to keep them in bright sunlight for a day or two before bringing them indoors

and definitely give them a good "salt wipe down" - rock or sea salt pressed onto a damp cloth and wipe all surfaces. A lot of time the energy around old things is very stagnant because the previous owners let the things sit and that energy needs to be wiped out before you bring them into your life!

Also I should add that I have brought my computer back to my desk today and am 'sitting down' again - I was a lot more productive last week, but not in the way I had hoped ... more on this later ...

received this note from the universe today and thought I'd share it ....

Cat , please help spread the word. Here are the top 10 ways people give away their power:

1. Asking others what they should do.
2. Thinking God decides who gets what.
3. Worrying about how their dream will come true.
4. Thinking they have dues to pay.
5. Attaching to unimportant details and outcomes.
6. Believing in soul mates.
7. Thinking karma or spiritual contracts are absolute.
8. Fear of anything, especially falling in love.
9. Waiting for their ducks to line up before acting.
10. Choosing to be unhappy.

Understand the truth, little bird, and you will soar.

Caw-caw,
The Universe

*don't shush your inner voice print by emily mcdowell draws