It's Time

Hello, friends! It's time to reopen my shop! New useful things will be coming, along with some patterns and other bits. I'm still hammering stuff out and building up inventory. Keep watching this space for more news and my official reopening date!

ATTENTION!!

I regret to announce that my shop will be closing at the end of October. I've had a great time as a seller on Etsy and I will still be around as I do not intend to stop shopping there.

If you've been waiting, now is the time! Want a custom Gnome? I can still do it!

As always, if you want to chat, you can send me a convo on Etsy, find me in the Etsy forums, keep up with me at my main blog, or reach me on Twitter .

Thanks everyone for your support!

Getting to that Time

Halloween designs are coming back soon! Get ready for some new designs and some old favorites!

A Trip to Maryland

Heading to Maryland in the middle of a work week doesn't happen very often. It was necessary this time because I had to go to the dentist, and I'm still going to the same doctor I've been seeing for the past 18 years. But, I'm glad that Tzipi arrived when she did, so she could get two states out of her trip with me!

Since my family always went to the dentist together, my parents also had appointments this day. First, we went to their house, where Tzipi got to meet my mom's Pomeranian puppy, Buffy.


Buffy is a sweet little dog, but she is a puppy, and Tzipi would have been in mortal danger if I left them alone. I think you can tell she's a little concerned! But, don't worry! I never let Buffy get anywhere close and Tzipi was always safe with me.

Next it was off to the dentist. Tzipi read a neat article on wolves from an old National Geographic while we waited.


My regular hygienist was on vacation, so I got to see someone new. She was very kind to Tzipi and let her sit in the chair. It's ok, Tzipi, it's my cleaning, not yours!


Tzipi asked a lot of questions about what the girl was doing to me. We had to tell her that keeping your teeth clean is very important! Thankfully, I've never had a bad experience at my biannual cleaning, so I had nothing but good stories to tell.


This was the first time I had gone since I moved, so I had to make sure they had my new address. The new receptionist was having a hard time getting my address in the system. She couldn't understand why it was not automatically filling in the city and state when she entered the zip code. One of the more seasoned employees came in and told her she had to type it in manually because they don't have any other patients who live where I do, so the system doesn't recognize the zip code! She said I must be the only one who refuses to find a new dentist. Tzipi just stood by trying really hard not to laugh.

As is tradition, after getting our teeth scrubbed clean, we have to go dirty them up in some fantastic way. We decided to go to Sakura, a Japanese hibachi restaurant.


Tzipi is all ready with her iced tea and her chopsticks!


She just could not take her eyes off of the chef. He put on quite a show while preparing our meal.

After lunch, we all wanted to further compound our now-dirty teeth with some nice ice cream. But first, my mom decided she wanted a fancy new cell phone.


Tzipi liked this one the best and my mom agreed. She even let Tzipi play with it on the ride home!


But first, we needed ice cream! I got a coffee and mint to share with Tzipi. She said it was really good.

After out little Maryland adventure, I took her home and we both went to bed. It was a long day!

Tzipi was still sleeping when I had to leave for work on Thursday, so I let her spend the day with the Gnomes again. When I came home, she was on the couch with Miss Luna surrounded by Gnomes watching Jim Henson's The Storyteller. I think Tzipi has a fondness for Jim Henson!

Friday, Tzipi came to work with me again, and we had to stop by the post office to ship a Pirate Gnome to London. That Gnome got a great send-off!


Next is a day at home today, and then Sunday brunch with the Renaissance Festival crew tomorrow in Annapolis!

Just Hangin with the Gnomies

Because we had an important prospective client visiting the office on Tuesday, Tzipi didn't really want to come to work with me. That was perfectly alright, as there are plenty of Gnomes in my home to keep her company, and Miss Luna is a very mellow kitty who doesn't seem to bother them. I told Tzipi not to get into any trouble as Noam and I headed to work (Noam always comes with me, that's part of his job).

You would not believe what I found when I got home! Tzipi was on the couch surrounded by Gnomes and Sylphs and piggies of every kind, listening to Nigel, the Gnome with Tome, read a story.


It was the cutest thing ever! And Tzipi seemed to really enjoy it, particularly since she had helped me make some of those books the day she arrived.

After that, Tzipi helped me make dinner. It was noodles with salmon and veggies.


This is when I noticed one of the origami spiders has followed us home from the office on Monday. And Minty, the Woolly Gnome has really taken a liking to Tzipi too.


After dinner, we all settled down with Miss Luna to watch Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland.

Wednesday is a trip to Maryland!

Meet Tzipi the World-Traveling Flutterbutt

A Flutterbutt is a soft, foamie creature born and bread in Israel and brought into the world by the very talented Sharona of raisinlike. One day Tzipi decided she wanted to see the world, so Sharona contacted her friends, helped Tzipi lace up her combat boots, and sent her on a world tour! Tzipi has seen many parts of England, Scotland, France, and New Zealand before making her way to the U.S. and finally to my little plot of land in Virginia. There was a bit of a mix-up with her flight, but here she is arriving safe and sound yesterday morning.


Tzipi had a long trip to get to me from Arizona. While she knows I just moved and was excited to help get me settled, I thought it would be a good idea to give her a chance to rest up.


First, she picked out a movie to watch. I had a lot of things in my collection that she'd never seen before. She chose the Muppet Movie. Good choice!


I did have to get some work done and Tzipi did a great job helping me make some books for Gnomes with Tomes™. She was amazed that they were just her size!


But, she did have a long day, so we both turned in early. She got to sleep in a special shell bed next to my Fairy House from Rachel with a bookcase nearby so she could read if she had trouble sleeping. Of course she had no trouble sleeping!

This morning meant I had to go to work. Tzipi got all dressed up and sat with Noam the Gnome while I worked. They chatted and told stories of their adventures (because Noam likes to travel too). The origami spiders liked to hear the stories too! Tzipi admitted to not being fond of spiders, but said the origami ones weren't bad.


Unfortunately, I had a dreadful migraine and had to leave work early. Tzipi said Noam showed her around my yard while I took a nap. I don't like them going outside alone, because there are many feral cats about, but Noam said they were safe.

Tomorrow, there is a big prospective client coming to the office and we've all been ordered to give a flawless first impression. Tzipi told me she was a little nervous because she doesn't have any real business attire with her. She's decided to hang at the house for the day. There are plenty of Gnomes to keep her company!

New Tomes

New Tomes are available with Gnomes with Tomes™!

You can now choose a blank tome, a tome written in Gnomish (illegible scribbling), The King of the Waters - a complete fairy tale by Cael Jacobs, or Taya's Charms Part 1 - an epic in multiple volumes by Erin Bridges.

You pick the robe color, eye color, and the content of your tome! Order your Gnome with Tome today!

Winner Announced

The wonderfully talented Anja from DoormouseDesigns won the giveaway Gnome from Faerie Moon Creations' blog! Congratulations, Anja!

Be sure to check out that blog every Thursday for more featured artists, often with giveaways! You might win next time!

New in the Shop

Here it is! Get a custom Complete Gnome set! One Gnome, one Gnomish Travel Basket, and one Gnomish Cape of Warmth! You pick the colors. Get an instant friend and traveling companion!

Gnomes with Tomes Now Available

Gnomes with Tomes™ are in the shop! Ok, so there's only one there, but still! You can get your collectible Gnome holding a little book!

Tell me what color you want his robe and eyes to be. While the listing says only blank books are available right now, contact me if you really want something else. I might be able to do it!

There are four Gnomes with Tomes™ already made, if you want a little less waiting time. They are: brown robe with pale blue eyes, brown robe with gold eyes, hunter green with gold eyes, and teal with bright blue eyes.

Take home a special Gnome today!

It's Christmas in July

July is a notoriously slow month for shopping. A group of Etsy sellers got together, headed by the lovely DesignedByLucinda and organized the Third annual Christmas in July sale!

Check out my shop for FREE worldwide shipping on all items! See the special Christmas in July section for discounts on Holiday Gnomes and a couple select sets!

You can search Etsy for "christmasinjuly" and "cij" to find other great sales from artists across the site. Happy shopping!

Gnome Sightings!

The very talented Theresa of Faerie Moon Creations has a wonderful blog. Every Thursday, she features two artists who make crazy fabulous items! You guessed it, this week, my Gnomes are making an appearance!

Check out her blog and enter to win a complete Gnome set (that is Garden Gnome, Cape of Warmth, and Gnomish Travel Basket) in the colors of your choice!

I'm also featured with the wonderful Visual Sentiments. You can enter that giveaway too!

Click here and good luck!

Pirates For the Gulf-Etsians Help Animals Caught In The Oil Spill (please re-blog and re-tweet thanks)

The following was copied from PussDaddy Blogs. It was brought to my attention via Twitter. Since this event is relatively local to me and many of my dear readers, I am spreading the word- as asked!

[copied message follows]

I received this email about how some are helping animals effected by the Gulf oil spill, bless their hearts. If you love animals and would like to help please re-blog this or tweet about it. Thanks so much. I will just copy and paste the email here:

Pirates For the Gulf is the name of the charity organization (we're currently working on getting 501.c3 status) working to benefit the animals and ecological system affected by the gulf oil spill. The fundraiser event will be held at Holly Hills Country Club in Ijamsville, MD on July 17th. The proceeds benefit the National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon Institute. The evening will be filled with food, drink, and entertainment. Local businesses have been kind enough to donate their time and items to a raffle being held that night. A local band, belly dance troupe, sword swallower, and tarot reader will be entertaining the attendees, too.

We've contacted many news venues locally but have found it difficult to get the word out nationwide. Our hope is that more people will come together to do similar fundraisers across the U.S.

The oil spill is a much bigger problem than most people seem to know or want to know, the repercussions of which will affect the Gulf of Mexico for many years to come. We feel that every little bit helps to those working to save the animals trapped in the area.

For folks in the MD, VA, or DC area, tickets can be purchased at www.piratesforthegulf.ticketleap.com and cost $60 each. More information can also be found on our Facebook group, Pirates For the Gulf.

Best Wishes,
The Alchemist's Star
www.thealchemistsstar.etsy.com

Sale Alert

Etsy sellers got together and realized it was time for a Christmas in July sale!

The official dates are July 15th through July 25th. Some sellers are starting early, some are running later. Each participating shop will have their own terms of sale, but you can be sure there will be some great deals! And it's not all Christmas-themed items either!

My sale will start a little earlier than the official start date. Look for a return of my Holiday line of Gnomes at $10 off. The special sets in my shop will be marked down 20%. And, free worldwide shipping on everything! Custom orders are available. If you need a Gnome but don't see the right colors, just let me know and I'll make one for you. If you need a Gnomish Travel Basket or Cape of Warmth, I can do it. Do you want to put an early order in for one of my Gnomes with Tomes™? No problem! Also, you don't have to wait for my sale to officially start! If you see something you need right now, contact me and I'll be happy to adjust to whatever sale price may apply to that item and reserve the listing for you. Just let me know!

Fun things are happening in July! Search for the terms "ChristmasinJuly" and "CIJ" to find sale items. Happy shopping!

Available and Coming Soon

Back in April, I announced my line of Undead Gnomes. In the middle of moving, I must have forgotten to tell you that Zombie and Sparkly Vampire Gnomes are available in the shop! Bring home a brain-eating or blood-sucking Gnome today!

My dear friend Laurel noticed a Gnome in the below picture from this post that isn't yet in the shop. He was hinted at way back in November, brought up again in February, but I have not talked about this special kind of Gnome since. Since the observant Laurel pointed him out on the Civilization board, this is a good time to talk about it!

I'm talking about that little blue-robed guy to the right of the Pirate Gnome with the fat book in front of him!


Gnomes with Tomes™

These very special collectible Gnomes are actually quite complicated. As you can see, they wear hooded robes with big bell sleeves. These Gnomes have arms so as to carry their little Gnomish tomes and wear little wire glasses.

These are the scholars, the scribes and monks of the Gnomish world. They are the keepers of the sacred Gnomish Texts and record Gnomish history. The human eye can't see Gnomish writing unless the holder of the Tome wishes it so - even then, it may only appear to us as scribbles!

The Process

Gnomes with Tomes™ are different from their basic Garden Gnome counterparts. They wear slightly pointed hoods instead of the traditional pointy red hats. These Gnomes have arms with sleeves so they can hold their little tomes.

Each miniature book is painstakingly handmade by me. Some tomes are blank, some tomes are written in Gnomish, some tomes have an actual tiny story printed on its pages. Some have even been known to hold a sheet of music! Book covers are made with decorated scrapbooking paper, wall paper scraps, handmade card paper, or leather (sometimes genuine, sometimes synthetic).

Learning to make miniature books has been an incredibly involved but very fun process! Making little books with legible stories is a very long process that takes hours upon hours of re-typing the tale in the correct format page by tiny page. They must be proof-read, and a prototype made to insure the pages print correctly and the story reads as intended in the finished book. Formatting to book completion without revisions takes about ten total hours! Thankfully, the format process only has to be done once.

To show how very special these Gnomes are, they will come in a special collectors display box with a certificate of authenticity. The box is lined in awesome paper printed like a bookshelf. Gnomes may be removed and gently handled, of course, and their little books can be read if those little books have something to read within. The wire glasses, plastic safety eyes, and some book material make them not suitable for children. These Gnomes are designed to be collectible!

Gnomes with Tomes™ are not available in the shop yet. As soon as I locate the necessary materials from my move, I will make them available by custom order. You will be able to specify eye color and robe color and tell me if you want a blank book, a book written in Gnomish, or a tiny story of my choice (note that stories may be one chapter of a larger adventure, subsequent chapters will be available later). Some stories will be printed in limited editions!

I am also looking for writers! If you have a short story that would be Gnome-appropriate and you are willing to grant me a limited license to make it in miniature and include it in a Gnomes with Tomes™ series, I'd be happy to! Short stories are preferred, but I'd be willing to make a chaptered set if it's a longer story (I can't write short stories, you see, all of mine end up epic. That's why most written tomes will come in chapters). You will receive the final prototype miniature book(s) of your story (remember 10+ hours of work per volume to get it there!), get full credit for the story in every issue, retain full rights of future publishing of your work, and you may have me discontinue your series in miniature at any time. The first person to grant me permission to use one of his stories loved his little book so much he has commissioned me to make an entire collection of some of his works in miniature, to include tales I have permission to use with Gnomes and those I don't. I can't wait to get started on that!

Contact me if you just can't wait for me to be ready and want me to start on your special Gnomes with Tomes™ Gnome right away! I hope you can tell I'm very excited about this line of Gnomes. It has been more than nine months in development!

The Egg Team's June Featured Seller

Everyone must check out the Egg Team's June Featured Seller, Zulamay!

Read the interview on the Egg Team's Blog and enter for a chance to win an awesome handmade pillow!

My favorite part: "A self-admitted obsessive reader, Laura has been known to get in an elevator and read the emergency instructions 'simply because I have twenty seconds of free time and there are words posted on the wall.'" I do that too!!

Go check out her feature and her shop and enter for a chance to win!

The Egg Team Presents The Diamond Hunt

Have you heard about the Egg Team's newest contest? It's a Diamond Hunt! Remember how much fun the Egg Hunt in March was? Here's a new one!

See our blog post for details. Search participating shops for the pretty diamond pictured below. Send in your answers for a chance to win! The prize package is fabulous and you might find a new shop you just love too!

Happy hunting!

Open For Business

The Gnomes, the Gnome Garden, the cat, and a lot of junk are all moved into my new home! My shop is officially re-opened! If you've been waiting for Gnomes, come by and have a look. Find a special Gnome, or buy a whole clan! They can join you for board games!

Vacation Alert

Good morning, friends! If you read my main blog or follow me on Twitter, you will know that I'm moving at the end of the month.

It's kind of complicated, because my current lease will expire before my settlement date. The seller knows this, however, so is letting me move my possessions in a week before we settle. I just can't live there!

Because of my rather crazy timetable, I will be putting my shop in vacation mode some time this afternoon and it will remain until I get connected at my new home. This should be around June 2nd.

As always, you can have a look at my sold items for an idea of what I can do. I won't be without a computer and internet connection until the end of the month, so I can still be reached through a Conversation or e-mail. Depending on where I am in packing, I may be able to open the shop for you if there's a Gnome you have to have! Just ask me!

A Yummy Treasury

Inspired by a Twitter conversation this evening, I made a treasury featuring my favorite dessert!

I hope you enjoy these tasty-looking cheesecake-inspired creations!