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.

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.

FALLing

Photo by DarlingDilemma

I'm tired. I mean really, really tired.
Is it because, after a lovely summer of frolicking, beading, family & sunshine I have gone back to work? Maybe.
Or maybe it is because work consists of two jobs, plus mothering, wifeing & still trying to build my shop's stock for Christmas?
Possibly.
Or could it be because one job has me running the roads all over New Brunswick, while the other requires me to be back in town for after school?
It might be.

But I know myself well enough to know, that the maybes, possibilities and mights of all those things, will fade as I adjust to the new schedules and routines.  I know myself well enough to know that the greater reality is the season...
Strangely enough, although fall is my most favorite season, it is also the beginning of something difficult for me.  Fall is filled with some of my favorite things; pumpkin spice lattes, fall wardrobes, the best colours in nature, crisp air and Halloween! But fall is also the gateway to winter, shorter days & longer nights.  This seasonal change effects a lot of us similarly.  A sense of sadness, depression & just pure exhaustion fights its way into an otherwise normal demeanor.  My active summer self seems to have quickly left me.  I find my errands harder to do & naps suddenly feel mandatory (although hardly ever possible).  I can switch from enjoying a moment, to longing, sadness or even tears.  I admit, sometimes I watch 'Brothers & Sisters' just so I can cry and get it over with... lol

But fall does something else to me too.
Fall fills me with love. I sometimes think I can feel, like the Grinch, my heart grow two sizes in the fall. Like my chest expands to compensate for my growing capacity to love. 
I want to squeeze my son more, snuggle under a blanket.  I tell him I love him so much he laughs.

I want to hold my husband's hand more while we walk and stay in our warm bed longer and longer.

The sight of fallen leaves makes me feel the need to tell someone 'I love you so much'.



ROOM with a view

 So tell me, how does that make sense?

New Brunswicker are the BEST

They are, they really really are.
Since moving here almost two years ago I have been trying to re find myself, start over, or find my place in the world. 
I have a place here now, in New Brunswick.
I teach art to children.  I work in an after school program designed for grades 3 to 5 (http://www.esteycreations.com/) showing them cartooning, watercolour & drawing skills.  I travel to schools all over New Brunswick with Jostens selling grad rings, meeting teenagers & seeing the beautiful province I live in.
And I make jewelry.
I spend a majority of my time at home, crafting, designing, photography & promoting my DarlingDilemma creations.

Normally something that is that much work, quickly becomes a hassle & a lot less fun, but with DarlingDilemma... well the fun never stops!


Recent custom order by Darling Dilemma



I love doing it all & can honestly say I am addicted! To all of it!  I love the making & creating, seeing a vision become realized (especially with custom orders) but I also love all the steps that lead up to it & the ones that make it happen.

One of the reasons I have been feeling particularly fond of my fellow New Brunswickers (besides the fact that living here lets me do what I do...) is the creative community.  Moving here from Ontario, specifically, near Toronto area, I know all about how inclusive the art world can be.  Attending art school, I also know all about art snobs*.  So to find myself in a place, so far removed from that attitude is amazing! and freeing!



Photography by PoedyPencilPrincess



Once I joined the sellers world of etsy I decided to seek out other new Brunswick etsy sellers & there were lots! We have formed a group which we have taken to calling NewBEST (New Brunswick Etsy Street Team).  It is a group of extremely talented artists & crafts people all working together to share information, promote & sell. I wanted to share some of what they do, with you.



Jewelry by uglyart

 

 

earrings by InspiredByOnline





Photography by soulfuse



Keyper Keychain by MomsCrafts4U

To search for NewBEST shops or New Brunswick artists, enter 'New Brunswick' into your etsy search engine!!

*Art snobs are the elitist crowd who define art only by the textbook definition.  They also appreciate habitual dissing of craft & all things related.

THE *F* WORD... Fall

When you say to others that summer is almost over, expect some harsh responses & the occasional glare. It could be my experience because I live in Canada, where so often our warm weather & sunny days are so limited but really I think it is a much more global issue than that.

Maybe it comes from the days of our youth, and the back to school blues. Those last few weeks of summer were relegated to trying to squeeze in as much fun, excitement & adventures into them as possible.

I will admit, I'm still guilty of this. There are about 2 more weeks left til my son goes back to school & I now wake up in a slight panic thinking, what wonderful thing can we do today??

Our move & vacation home to Ontario took up a lot of our time and money this summer. Both were exciting in their own ways but last summer we had a lot more adventures I think. So with only two more weeks til the whole 'back to school' thing takes over our lives, I'm on the hunt for adventure!

I have been a bad blogger.. bad, bad, bad! But truth been told I have almost a thousand good excuses and almost that many good intentions.

Several months ago my husband decided to take a new job opportunity that has had our lives in a bit of a chaotic mess. The job was in another city and so my husband moved on ahead of us, so that I could stay with our son til school finished. Last day of school June 25th, same day the packers arrived.

So this week finds us in a new city, in our new home.

It is a time of new. It is, and I am trying to embrace it whole heartedly. When we first moved to New Brunswick a year & a half ago, I will admit, I was hesitant. New Brunswick was one of the provinces that I had just never dreamt of. I went thru a period of B.C. dreaming when I was about 20 (go west young woman...), and once I had my son, I had big dreams of moving him to P.E.I. or Nova Scotia. New Brunswick always seemed to be the province you would drive thru to get somewhere better. I was so wrong.

It is a place of immense beauty.

It is a place of forests & beaches. Kind hearted people & amazing sights.
It is a place I hope you all come visit.

And it is the place I am calling home.