Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Grimoire's Sneak Peek

We will be taking some much needed time off April 26-May 3. Both ETSY shops will be set on vacation mode during that week. Customers will still be able to convo us with any questions, but will not be able to place orders during that time. All inquiries will be answered after we return in early May. Thank you in advance for your patience.

Madame Z is hard at work on her next 'Stone of the Month' post, be sure to check it out. The spotlight stone for May is Sodalite. This stone is awesome!

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Where Oh Where have my paintbrushes gone?

So......... I sat down the other day to work on some ornaments made from used light bulbs and discovered I seemed to be missing all my paintbrushes. They are usually kept in a coffee cup the hubby picked up for me on a fishing trip he took a few years ago.
Having encountered this situation on numerous occasions in the past, I knew who to blame. Grimmie fancies himself a budding young artist and is always taking off with the brushes.
After several minutes spent on this latest scavenger hunt, I was able to find most of the missing brushes and get a good start on some happy little snowmen ornaments. In the near future, they will be found in my ETSY shop, ravenheartdesigns.etsy.com. I'm just not sure where my paintbrushes will be found.

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Message from the CEO

Hello everyone! We have undergone some changes around here in our first quarter. In mid-January, we said good bye to our part-time employee, Aaron. He was instrumental in dragging us into the social media age. We can now be found on facebook, twitter, and of course, this blog. During his time here, we also did some experimenting with tie-dying baby bibs and onesies, and found the results pleasing.


Our experiments with the screen printer did not turn out as positively, but we were able to learn what does not work, which is half the battle. We are still optimistic that someday you will see screen printed items for sale in one of our ETSY shops. Last, but not least, no accounting of Aaron's time with us can be complete without mentioning that we now all know what the fox says. Now, whenever one of the humans in the household set the timer on the clothes dryer, the dinging sounds take on new meaning. Thank you, Aaron. (Us cats are the kings and queens of sarcasm).


Aaron's lovely lady, a photographer, took some beautiful new photos for our listings. We especially love the outdoor pictures featuring the hand knit scarves, which can be found at ravenheartdesigns.etsy.com.


It took awhile, but the editing is finally finished and the new pictures are now included in both shops.


Several new earrings were listed at ravensmysticmoon.etsy.com, including our new 3-in-1 earrings. The 3-in-1 earrings are actually three different pairs of earrings using only one ear wire. We thought we would try this as a way to save our customers some money.


This quarter also saw us do our first give-away on facebook. Congratulations to Andrea, who was the winner of a $20 gift certificate. She correctly guessed our March 'Stone of the Month', which was Unakite.
The 'Stone of the Month' is a new feature we started in January. Each month we spotlight a different healing stone, offering discounts on any item in either shop containing it. Our Raven Heart Designs shop does not have the variety of stones Raven's Mystic Moon does, and sometimes chooses to provide a coupon code good for a discount on any item instead. In addition to the savings, Madame Z provides a monthly blog post on all the amazing things the spotlight stone is believed to do.

Looking ahead into the next quarter, we will be adding embroidered items to both shops. Raven's Mystic Moon, with the healing stones, pentagrams, yin/yang's, oms, and crosses, is our spiritual shop. With that in mind, we will be adding embroidered baby bibs that reflect the spiritual nature. Our hope for the future is to expand the inventory to include bath towels, also.
Raven Heart Designs is more of a menagerie. The human employee would like to get away from knitting, because it is too time consuming, and focus on other projects. Our plan for this shop is to focus more on the Christmas/ Yule season, but to also add embroidered items here, too. We are planning on adding embroidered baby bibs and onesies that just would not fit in with the spiritual nature of the other shop. We will be launching our line of 'inappropriate baby bibs' soon.

Our long range goal is to learn to digitize our own patterns for the embroidery machine. We want to be able to offer our customers designs exclusive to our shops.

It certainly has been a busy quarter!
See you next update,
Jezebel

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Madame Z's Corner: Carnelian

Madame Z provides monthly posts featuring a different healing stone each month. She gathers her info from many different sources including the books: The Pocket Book of Stones; The Way of the Green Witch; Healing Crystals and Gemstones; The Essential Guide to Crystals, Minerals, and Stones; and Grimoire for a Green Witch; the websites: That Crystal Site; Wings of Spirit; and Healing Crystals for You; as well as relying on personal experience. Healing stones are not a substitute for medical treatment. Anyone with serious medical or emotional issues should consult with a health care professional. When purchasing a healing stone, it is best to buy the stone you are drawn to. Healing stones should be cleansed and charged periodically. We cleanse our personal stones at least once a month, and sometimes more often if we feel they need it. Cleansing can be accomplished by holding the stone in a stream of water. A natural stream is best, but since most of us do not have access to one, filtered water is a good substitute. Stones that include metals should not be placed in water because of the risk of rust. These stones can be placed in dirt or smudged with white sage. To recharge the stones, place in a sunny window or in moonlight for a few hours.


We have featured a few calming stones the previous months, and have decided to spotlight an invigorating stone this time.
 
Carnelian is one of the oldest healing stones in history. The Egyptians carried it as a source of energy and vitality. It was placed in the tombs in ancient Egypt as a 'magic armor' for life after death.
Carnelian is associated with the root, solar plexus, and sacral chakras, and is believed to bring an influx of creative and sexual energies. It is thought to increase a zest for life, and to help one regain strength after an illness or injury. It is considered a powerful aid in building courage, passion, and confidence. It is also associated with success, motivation, protection, and grounding. Carnelian is thought to help boost self confidence, aid concentration, and to help with decision making. It is believed to dispel envy and fear, and can also be used to reveal past life experiences. This stone is thought to encourage community spirit, and to promote helpfulness. Physically, carnelian is considered helpful for relieving arthritis pain, and for supporting respiratory function. It is also thought to be helpful with the prevention of miscarriage, and for treating lower abdominal pain caused by cysts.
In our experience with this wonderful stone, we agree that it brings a sense of vitality and zest for life to the wearer. For us, it brings the amount of energy needed, without being overpowering. Carnelian should be cleansed under warm running water once a month, and recharged in sunlight.