The Bag Dilemma

(I've decided to just ignore the elephant in the room - not having blogged a word since January...& just jump back in randomly)

So not only do I sell on Etsy, but I shop there... a lot.  It is a serious addiction. I often find myself spending hours surfing the amazing shops there & all the goodness within.  I tend to do this most on Sunday evenings.  I don't know why & it really isn't relevant, but I wanted to share.

Anyways, it is just about Spring so I'm jonesing for a new bag. The perfect bag. 

The problem is, spending this much time on Etsy I've culminated too many perfect bags in my 'favorites' & now I'm overwhelmed with the choice I've got to make!
I've narrowed it down to a mere 7...



mojospastyle

 1. Ivory Ruffle Flower Black Handbag $85 +$30 shipping = $115 USD
This bag is a great size & the beauty of the flower & colour combination makes me swoon. 

OregonLynne

2. Handmade from a Hot Pink Leather Jacket $47.50 + $15 shipping
Okay so I just LOVE the bow detail on this, having eyed several other bags with bows lately, but beyond that & the colour, how cool is it that this was reclaimed from a leather jacket!?! Score one for recycling!

Uzura

3. Eco-friendly Hemp bag with Songbird $48 + $5.50 shipping
Definitely more casual (already I'm convincing myself I need more than one bag - see my dilemma??), but such a great colour & pretty image. Loving that it is hemp too.

ryou

4. Mira in Purple $48 + $13 shipping
I love purple... do I need to say more? Okay, fine... I love the size, shape & it looks super durable! Happy now?


bayousalvage

5. Sweet and Lowdown French Quarter Boho Messenger $54 + $5 shipping

Ruffles are another favorite with me. I love them combined with this grey. I'm trying out grey, as I was verbally abusive of it in the past.

annyandme

6. Delila Bag $68 + $9 shipping

Okay so this bag has been on my want list the longest... the colour, combined with the polka dots just calls to me. So vibrant & fun! But.. I already have a bag in this style.

However

7. Quote $88 + $12 shipping
This bag is dreamy. It is a 3-way bag, with a handle that you can switch around & you can't see it in this photo but this bag is also lined in a gorgeous sunny yellow, giving it an even lovelier look!

And so there is my dilemma.
Which bag would you choose?

1 Year!!?!?!

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."
Lewis Carroll

It has been one year since my friend Stacy from Parker Buttons helped me get my Etsy shop off the ground & what a great year it has been. I have met so many wonderful people all because of Etsy & this venture. I have had wonderful conversations about jewelry, business, Etsy & the art of crafting. I have learned & shared tips & tricks for buying & selling online. I even started up an Etsy Street Team for New Brunswick Etsy sellers... we have started calling ourselves NewBEST (New Brunswick Etsy Street Team).


All of this happened because of Etsy. Or it happened because of an over abundance of beads in my home. OR it happened because I once made a necklace & everyone complimented me on it...!
For whatever moment it was that brought me here, I thank the universe. And I thank all of you for supporting me in what I do.
Because of the support I would like to offer all of you 15% off your purchases until the end of the month of January!


To get your 15% off simply enter the coupon code: 1YEAR when purchasing from Etsy. If you find something you would like to purchase but do not want to purchase thru Etsy (although it really is very easy & safe), I can offer you free shipping instead, just send me an email to darlingdilemma@live.ca so we can work out the details.


Just one last note, for those of you who are not already fans on my facebook page I have included the link to this as well because besides being able to contact me there & view items for sale, there will also be specials that will be offered only to fans



Thank you from, Emma Dilemma

 Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/DarlingDilemma

Facebook fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/DarlingDilemma
 

Once was lost….

But now I’m found. Honest. Well at least partially.



It has been awhile I know but with 2 jobs + Darling Dilemma & being a mom, & a trip back home to Ontario, well… December was a write off.

But let’s not dwell. Let’s catch up!
When we last parted I was in full Darling Dilemma Christmas mode. Sales & products galore! Mid December I slowed down, closed the shop for a bit & made time for my family & to recoup from a very hectic fall.


One of the greatest goings-on was our family trip back to Ontario to spend Christmas, together, with our families. Everyone says their Christmas was great, but this one was heart-warming for my little family.

Since moving to New Brunswick 2 years ago, my husband & I haven’t had much opportunity to vacation together. Our schedules are different, flying isn’t an option (flying 3 people even to Ontario can be a huge financial strain!) and driving quickly eats up your days. Last Christmas this meant we spent the holidays apart. My son & I drove to Ontario to spend Christmas with my parents, while my poor husband was stuck in Fredericton working. It was sad, even depressing & frankly it broke my heart. I knew I couldn’t do it again.

2010 brought us new opportunities though, & a because of a new understanding employer my husband was able to get the time off to come home with us for Christmas. Our respective parents treated us all into flying instead of driving & suddenly the whole holiday was a go!



Son's first plane flight

Spending Christmas with everyone, husband included was the only gift I wanted. It was a gift that fit perfectly.

Black Friday/Cyber Monday SALE!

My Darling Dilemma Etsy shop is starting the Black Friday/Cyber Monday SALE early!!!!!!!!!!!! Enter the code: DARLINGDEAL upon check out and you will get 15% off your ENTIRE ORDER!! Go now: http://www.etsy.com/shop/DarlingDilemma

Support handmade, support Canadian made, support artists!

**News Update**

Firstly, welcome to all the new readers!
A recent contest with fellow blogger, Maritime Shopper, has brought plenty of new readers my way, as well as facebook fans & Etsy shoppers. Working with Chelsea on this project has been lots of fun. If you haven't already you should check out her fashion blog. (there are even a few hours left to enter the giveaway!)

I will make sure to let you all know who won the draw, after Chelsea announces it on her blog!

In  other news, I have been holding my own contest for fans of my facebook page & customers from Etsy for the best fan photo! We have so many amazing, fun & beautiful entries & the one with the most votes wins.  If you haven't checked them out yet or haven't voted you can see them here.

Fan, Kenicke Street, wearing her Darling Dilemma

Okay... so what else is new? Oh, I now have a twitter account, DarlingDilemma and am wadding thru that learning curve wondering if anyone is reading or even seeing my 'tweets' lol.  AND I'm preparing for what I hope is a successful Black Friday & Cyber Monday.  Stay tuned for news of.... a.... SALE!!

Red for Remembrance



Red Riley from Darling Dilemma



Being part of an Etsy Street Team means participating in challenges & a certain level of camaraderie with your fellow Etsy sellers.  



Red for Remembrance Treasury



I have been putting a lot of energy into my NewBEST  (New Brunswick Etsy Street Team) group lately, trying to exchange information, promote shops & just create a certain amount of friendship.  We recently had a November treasury challenge that was titled 'Red for Remembrance' and the point was to promote team members & their items, as well as reflect on the time of year reserved for our Veterans.  As most of you will know from my previous post, it is a time I take to heart.  When posed the challenge I decided to take it a step further & include only Canadian shops in the treasury, looking to members of the other team I am part of the Trans Canada Team.  The treasury pictured here was the result and we were lucky enough to make it to the front page of Etsy!!





November, Remembrance

Well, November is upon us! It happened (as these things tend to do) overnight & I am not sure I am entirely happy about it!
November brings us all too close to winter, snow & ice.  In fact on Halloween I woke up to our first snow of the year!  Halloween night found me out in an awful combo of snow, mist, rain & some kind of slush, while my son rang doorbells in his desperate pursuit of candy.
Last year's fall seemed more drawn out, lush, and frankly warmer.  It has been raining, no pouring... no down pouring for days on end!  Last year the leaves stuck around longer, the sun shone brighter and this time last year, when my father came out for his first visit we even enjoyed any amazing day at the beach in Bouctouche! This week, in what might be considered a family tradition (two times makes a tradition... right??), both parents will be flying in from Ontario to Saint John for my birthday, which falls on Remembrance day.  Awaiting my father's arrival I started to write a remembrance of my Grandfather, Edwin Barlow.

I think about his at times.  I used to think of him much more, I have to admit.  But as the years go by he comes to mind less frequently but with fondness.  Big family gatherings, Christmas, the obvious occasions.  I think of him when I think of Phoenix & my father, their grandparent/grandchild relationship.  I sometimes think of him when Phoenix's hair is a golden red, remembering he too was known for his locks once upon a time.  There is one day of the year, one day that approaches that I carry him with me all day, often much of the week leading up as well... one day that is my birthday.  November 11th. Remembrance Day.
I am posting a piece here that I wrote last year, to share.


"Those of you who know me, even a little, know that Remembrance Day brings conflicting emotions to me.



A birthday, my birthday, can be a happy celebration... friends & family, cake & presents. It can be depressing, with thoughts of aging, a few unfulfilled dreams, or this year a simple missing of my girlfriends. As much as I love a good party, my birthday is bittersweet - it's a time to remember. I remember my Grandpa Ted, or Florida Grandpa as I used to differentiate him from Georgetown Grandpa. He catches my thoughts on fall days... remembrance of cable knit sweaters that smell of autumn, with a leaf or two stuck to it. Dirt under fingernails, and muddy rubber boots.


My Grandma, Florida Grandma, asked me the fall before we lost Grandpa, what kind of sweater I'd like. She felt remiss that she hadn't knit me something, since all my cousins had recently married and received crocheted blankets. I requested a cable knit sweater 'like Grandpa's' I said.


"What size," she asked.


'... made to fit him,' I responded.

I have a big cable knit sweater, knit by Grandma, fit by Grandpa (although he swore mine was nicer than his) with big brown buttons down the front. It smells like fall and it keeps me warm whenever I'm chilled.

I think of Grandpa now, not only because he was a Hong Kong Veteran and as a good Canadian I am reminded and somewhat obliged to think of the war and its soldiers on November 11th, or because Grandpa smelled of fall and was warm like that feeling you get when you come inside to a warm house from a crisp fall walk (much like my father is), but because we lost Grandpa a few short days after my 21st birthday.


Every year that goes by in my son's life I am thankful for another great year he has had, getting to know his grandpa. There seems to be some grandfather traditions that have developed, a trend I notice. Grandpa's have workshops and can fix things you would otherwise think broken and gone forever, even things you can't imagine there worth. Grandpa's get dirtier than Grandma's, but Grandma's are good at giving them hell for tracking that dirt in the house. Grandpa's tease you relentlessly and will try to steal your apple pie, birthday cake and Christmas cookies.


And Grandpa's are always happy to see you...


This year on my birthday, my dad flies out to Fredericton, New Brunswick, our new home, for his first visit since we moved here in January. His summer visit was postponed after the very un-grandpa like occurrence of a motorcycle accident he had in July. He will arrive in time for my birthday and Remembrance Day and be here to witness his grandson march with his cub troop in his first Remembrance Day Parade. Full uniform & blazing red hair like his Great-Grandpa once had. I think he will make us all proud; Mom, Grandpa and Great-Grandpa Ted."

So Thursday my parents will fly  in to spend my birthday with me, but most importantly spend time with their grandson, Phoenix.  And Phoenix will stand with his new Scout troop at the Remembrance Day service.  And I... will think about Grandpa, enjoy my boy, my parents, my family & be thankful for the time.