Holiday Wishes 2013
Holiday Wishes is a fun idea where you post your wishlist – anything from cards to pipe dreams like a car – and then you go through lists other people have posted and see if you can fulfill any of their wishes. I’ve been doing it on a community on Livejournal for years and years now but I tend to also copy my list here since not a lot of people are on LJ anymore. My list is over here on the community or listed below. Spread some holiday cheer!
About Me
Greetings! I’m Miss M. Turner. I’m 36 and I live in the Tampa Bay Area of Florida (USA) with my guy and three cats. (Used to only be two but we found and rescued the most adorable fluffy orange kitten earlier this year so now we have three. The felines are taking over!)
It’s been a pretty good year all things considered and though life always has it’s ups and downs, I think it’s been more ups than down this year so that’s always nice. I’ve been in this community for longer than I can remember. LOL I think like 7 or 8 years now? I look forward to it every year and enjoy both sending and receiving some holiday cheer!
Wishlist!
1. As always, first and foremost: To have a good season in my shop PhoenixFire Designs
After my major surgery two years ago and not having a job to come back to after recovery, I decided to make a go at running my business full time. It’s been the best decision ever but it can be scary because it’s unpredictable. I can’t always guarantee what my income will be. My holiday season tends to be make or break for me and I count on it a lot for the whole year. I make beautiful pieces by hand and with love, including my world-famous Tree of Life pendants. I also gladly customize and personalize!
Even just spreading the word is helpful! Posting my link or “Like” my facebook page is greatly appreciated. You can post it in your journal, pinterest, facebook, twitter – anything! The more people know about it, the more I have a chance of getting buyers! Please help support handmade this holiday!
You’re also welcome to use any image in my shop or one of these images to link with as well:
Shop: www.PhoenixFireDesigns.etsy.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/PhoenixFireDesigns
Blog: www.TreeofLifePendants.com
2. And speaking of…Something Handmade by you or someone you know!
What’s your specialty? I’d love to see what you (or someone you know) loves to make by hand. Knit, crochet, sew, printmaking, woodwork, paper crafting, photography, paint, art, ceramics, pottery, glass, embroidery, screen printing, etc., etc., etc…..I’m leaving this totally open. Help support other handmade artisans too!
3. Any Kind of Craft Supplies!
And continuing the handmade theme, I can always use more supplies! I am a very crafty person and welcome just about any craft supplies! Rubber stamps, stickers, beads (not plastic please), jewelry findings, gemstone beads, papercraft items, die cuts, embossing folders, fabric, notions, tools – you name it, I’ll take it! 
4. Gift certificates for Supplies!
There are always things I need running my own business. Especially supplies. So maybe you can help with gift cards I can use for places to get things to run my shop. Got $7.52 left on one? I’ll still gladly put it to good use. Craft stores, office supply, even places you might not think of like home decor and such that I use for my displays when I have a craft show – just about anything is helpful!
Three places that are exceptionally awesome?
- Etsy (supplies and handmade items)
- Fire Mountain Gems (supplies for my business)
- Amazon (little bit of everything.)
5. Anything from my amazon wishlist.
Ok, so I admit. I also like some good old fashioned material things too. LOL But I don’t mind gently used items. I’m a big believer that many things in life can be enjoyed by more then one person and shared. (And if you already own something on the list and want to pass it on, that’s awesome too!)
6. Anything Back to the Future
I LOVE Back to the Future. Like, seriously, I know the first movie by heart. It’s my ringtone on my cell. And I have like 6 versions of the DVD/Blu-Ray because every time it comes out, I buy it again. LOL So, anything about, or from or inspired by – handmade or store bought – would be super fun. DeLorean items, Doc Brown, Marty – it’s all good. Tees, keychains, posters, postcards, figures, autographs, promotion things, whatever. Silly? Yes, of course. But that’s half the fun.
7. Hand Knit Socks
This one is a guilty pleasure for me. I love soft, hand knit socks. I can’t knit my way out of a paper bag! I have pretty small feet (size 6.5 US or about 9″ long) so maybe a kind knitter out there would make me a pair?
8. Surprise me!
Take a look at my likes in my profile or read any my past journal entries. Any of that spark an idea for you? Think of something I didn’t mention specifically but think I might like? Go for it! (Feel free to email me/comment too if you have any specific idea/questions.) Handmade is awesome and appreciated. Gently used/pre-loved is as well.
9. My pipe dream wish: Canon EF or EF-S Len(es)
Something like the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens. Oh, excuse me, I drooled a little on my list. Sorry about that. Photography is my second passion and earlier this year I got a Canon T4i DSLR and I just love it. I love having so much more control over what I can do. But I really want to upgrade my kit lens. So the 17-55mm looks awesome. (The 15-85mm looks nice too.) Either way, it’s like $800 so yeah, dream I know but hey, can’t fault a girl for dreaming big!
And last but certainly not least… 10. Holiday cards!
Bonus if they have penguins on them, or owls, or winter scenes and extra bonus if they are Yule/Solstice themed. But honestly, any and all cards are SO welcome! I absolutely love mail. I check my mailbox every day because I just love getting mail. It’s like a present.
I do my absolute best to send return cards back for all I receive, so please remember to include your return address!
Miss M. Turner
PO BOX 1484
Elfers, FL 34680
USA
missm(at)giveneyestosee.com
ALLERGY NOTE: Because of my migraines, I can’t have anything that was around smoke and I can’t have any scented products unless they smell like food. Anything with a musk or a perfume or non-edible scent will trigger a migraine. I am also allergic to artificial sweeteners. Thank you.
(And if you feel like we have a lot in common, please feel free to friend my journal! I always welcome new friends. I even get chatty in the comments so if you see a ton of replies to this entry, that’s why! LOL)
Thank you in advance! I hope you and yours have a beautiful holiday season!
Design of the Week
My Miniature Four Seasons (Wheel of the Year) Tree of Life earrings are the Fire Mountain Gem’s Design of the Week!
Using the same hand wire wrapping techniques as my full-sized pendants, these teeny little miniature Tree of Life earrings celebrate the four seasons of the year! Featuring Peridot for Spring, Dark Green Aventurine for Summer, Red Carnelian for Autumn and Rainbow Moonstone for Winter. On .925 sterling hooks.
Here is the original image submitted:
Four Season (Wheel of the Year) miniature tree of life pendant earrings by Miss M. Turner of PhoenixFire Designs
Miniature Yarn Ball Christmas Tree Ornament
It’s that time again! Christmas trees and holiday decorations are in full swing. But wouldn’t you rather have something unique and fun? Put a little handmade whimsy in your Christmas Tree decorations and holiday decor with this adorable little miniature yarn ball ornament with miniature knitting needles! A perfect gift or stocking stuffer for knitters and people who crochet and a cute way to celebrate your love of handmade!
With the look of a real ball of yarn, this ornament starts with a shatter-proof core and I then hand wrap the yarn around it in a messy style, covering all of it in a layer of genuine cotton variegated green/white yarn. Two, miniature bamboo knitting needles poke through the yarn ball waiting for the next project! I originally made one of these a few years ago for a friend who owned a yarn shop and when I posted it on Flickr, it got so much interest, I started offering them for sale. A seasonal exclusive, they’re only available this time of year and they tend to go quick!
Get yours here while they last!.
Perfect gift or stocking stuffer for the knitter, fiber lover or handcrafted fan on your holiday shopping list!
PhoenixFire Designs 2013 Holiday Order Deadlines
HOLIDAY SHIPPING DEADLINES
I know people don’t want to think about Holiday & Christmas shopping yet. BUT…as everything is handmade by my two very human hands, there is more lead time required than grabbing something made in China from Wal-Mart. Especially factoring in shipping.
PhoenixFire Designs 2013 Holiday Mailing Deadlines for Christmas Delivery
INTERNATIONAL ORDERS REQUIRE THE MOST TIME. International orders shipping first class (standard) mail MUST be received by FRIDAY DECEMBER 6th. That is only ONE MONTH from now!!
And Africa, South and Central America – even worse, your orders need to be in by MONDAY NOVEMBER 25th for Christmas delivery.
So RIGHT NOW is the time to start planning and getting in your holiday orders!
www.PhoenixFireDesigns.etsy.com
No Tricks, Just Treats!
Don’t be scared – no tricks here! Just a Free Shipping sale for all US Orders at PhoenixFire Designs with code SPOOKY13 now through Halloween!
This includes all my very popular Full Moon Trees, my Birthstone Tree of Life Pendants, my bird nest jewelry and more!
Also includes my newest items like my Shaded Ruby Ombre Tree of Life Pendant, my Shaded Natural Emerald Tree of Life Pendant, Miniature Peridot Tree of Life Earrings and more!
Hurry! Offer expires midnight on October 31st!
Shop PhoenixFire Designs!
Sick
So Love’s been sick since last week with a miserable cold. He missed work Friday, got sent home Monday, and Tuesday went to the doctor for meds. He’s been coughing violently and like mad for days and days and neither of us got any sleep the entire time because he’d wake up coughing every 15 minutes.
It’s nearly a week though since he got sick and I wasn’t sick yet so I thought I dodged the bullet. No such luck.
Woke up today with that “thick” feeling in my throat and a little bit sore. I’m also achy. And all three of those things are getting worse as the day goes on. *grump* So I think it’s safe to say I’ve officially succumbed to his cold.
The shop remains open but bear with me if I’m not quite as quick on the reply draw as normal. I foresee lots of sleeping in my future for the next few days.
Meanwhile, have a pic of my adorable orange kitten biting my laundry basket.
This is a kitten who LOVES to bite. Everything. Laundry baskets included.
Me? I’m off to get a lozenge and get back under my snuggie on the couch. (What? It’s handmade and awesome.)
Ginger In the Box
Here’s Ginger when she first came here back in May. She was about 7 weeks old.
Even at 7 weeks old, she’s powerless to resist the lure of a cat trap box!
And here she is the other day at 6 months old. Same box.
“What do you mean I don’t fit?”
I love that I didn’t even have to do anything. Just saw the box sitting in the back room, plopped it on the ground in front of her and she immediately tried to get into it. (Despite there being a change in kitten-to-box size ratio!)
Post Hysterectomy – 2 Years Later
On October 5, 2011, at age 34, I went in for my Total Laparoscopic Hysterectomy. It was unbelievably hard. Recovery was painful and slow. But, I was so thankful that I was able to get it in the first place.
With a pre-existing condition and no health insurance coverage from my then day-job, no company would insure me. After months of struggle and realizing just how complicated and nearly impossible it was getting access to health care when you’re sick and uninsured, I was able to get insurance called PCIP (Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan) that was created as part of the Affordable Care Act. (aka “ACA” or “Obamacare”)
The Affordable Care Act (known as “ACA” or “Obamacare”) was signed into law by President Obama March 23, 2010.
Two weeks after my surgery, I posted my now (in)famous “I am Obamacare” image HERE on my blog. Over the next two years, it would pop up and make the rounds in literally all corners of the web, going viral multiple times and crashing my poor website several times due to overloaded servers. (Big thanks to my ever patient and awesome webhost, Wbws.net for not only not kicking me off but not charging me for the overages of bandwidth for a humble blog that never planned on anywhere near that much traffic!)
Well, here we are two years later and Health Care is once again in the news due to the opening of the marketplace on October 1, 2013. And with it, my I am Obamacare image is going around once again. Seemed like a good time to do this:
That’s me, Miss M. Turner holding a printout of my original I am Obamacare sign from 2011 celebrating two years post-op from my hysterectomy at age 34.
Two years later, I’m healthy. Doing wonderful. You’d never know how sick I was then to look at me now. I’ve since gotten engaged to my wonderful guy and we’re to be married soon. We celebrated our 15th anniversary together the end of last month. We’ve added a third cat to our household (a little kitten rescued off the side of the road.) I’ve successfully taken my part-time hobby into my full time job. I have more energy, less migraines, and zero days lost to uncontrolled pain and bleeding. I’m free from any medication and feel like a new woman.
Even my scars have gotten tiny and insignificant:
My Total Laparoscopic Hysterectomy (TLH) scars two years post-op.
In short, though it was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through and I don’t ever want to face such serious medical issues again in the future if I can help it, it all worked out so well in the end that in a weird way, I’m better for having been through it. For women out there who are getting ready to go through this, or who have already and are looking for long-term experiences, I can say personally, I don’t regret it for a moment. I can’t tell you if it’s the right thing for you or not. That’s something you and your doctor need to discuss. But, I will say there is a light at the end of the tunnel. And it does get better.
Older Post-Op Hysterectomy Status Updates
- 18 Months Post-Op
- 1 Year Post-Op
- 10 Months Post-Op
- 8 Months Post-Op
- 16 weeks Post-Op
- 3 Months Post-Op
- 6 Weeks Post-Op
- 5 Weeks Post-Op
- 4 Weeks Post-Op
- 3 Weeks Post-Op
- First Month daily updates in October 2011 Archive
Pine Mountain Georgia
Here’s a little look at a few images from our 15th anniversary mini-trip to Pine Mountain, Georgia. We got there Friday evening and left Sunday around lunch so it wasn’t nearly enough time. Still, it was great to get away – even for a couple days!
Gorgeous view from FDR State Park. Max elevation is 1,395 feet. Much higher than the 9ft elevation of our apartment complex!
Love showing off how awesome the view is! (And how much braver he is then me since I wouldn’t go that far towards the edge. LOL)
Close up of the spectacular view from lookout in FDR State Park.
Me at the lookout across from the Callaway Gardens Country Store. It was chilly in the mornings, hence the sweater!
View from our room of Callaway Gardens from the Mountain Creek Inn (morning.)
View from our room of Callaway Gardens from the Mountain Creek Inn (sunset)
FDR’s Little White House in Warm Springs, Georgia.
Lovely scenery inside Callaway Gardens itself.
Anyway, just a few pics to show off how lovely it was! Of course, photos don’t ever do nature justice. The vistas were just stunning. Short stay but so nice to get away. It’s been literally like a decade since we went on vacation so we really enjoyed it!
15 years
15 years ago, 1998, I was friends with this guy from work. He had started a couple months before and made no secret he was interested in me. We had gone out on a few casual dates and I was kinda starting to like him. Then Hurricane Georges was heading for Florida. It was originally on a beeline directly for the Tampa Bay Area and his St. Petersburg apartment was under mandatory evacuation.
On a whim, we hopped in the car and tried to figure out what to do for the weekend. And he remembered this place he went to as a kid called Callaway Gardens in Georgia. So we just started driving to Georgia and bought a map and found the place.
We showed up, got a room and spent the next two days have a ton of fun. Running around the Gardens, through FDR State Park, Roosevelt’s Little White House in Warm Springs, etc. It’s when our relationship truly started and we’ve been together ever since.
The other day while cleaning, I found my old receipt from that stay:
Callaway Gardens receipt from our first stay in September 1998.
Tomorrow, we’re heading back to celebrate 15 years. How far we’ve come and how many more years we will hopefully have together. I’m looking forward to it.
Obviously, I’m going to be away from the computer for a few days so if you need me, I’ll be back Monday. Have a lovely weekend everyone!
What’s New Pussycat?
Yeah so apparently I forgot to update after Ginger’s surgery. It went excellent. She was more cranky about having to stay in the crate for two days than anything. (She wasn’t supposed to run/jump/climb for AT LEAST two days and she was ready to be all over the place practically the moment she came home!)
Here’s her belly the day after surgery. You can see how they had to shave her fluffy tummy. (Excuse the poor cell phone quality.)
She’s a little high on pain meds the day after surgery.
By Saturday, we let her out. And she acted like NOTHING had happened. It’s crazy how quick she just immediately bounced back. Took me a YEAR after my hysterectomy to feel nearly normal. LOL
Here she is from Sunday rolling around on the floor:
Just like a tiger, when you shave her, the stripes/spots go all the way to the skin. LOL
So she’s doing awesome. I’m so relieved and happy because she’s my fluffy little girl and I was worried about her. But she’s a trooper and at 5 months old, nearly impervious apparently!
In other news, I got red highlights. Like seriously red. But I don’t really have a great shot to show it off. Just this selfie I posted on twitter. I’ll have to try and get a better shot. It’s funky but I kinda like it.
Been bus this week. Went to my Mom’s Monday to help clean (I try to go once a week but I didn’t have my car for a month so I was way overdue) and so I spent Monday vacuuming and mopping her whole house. (It’s all tile.) Tuesday, Love woke up with one of his “vertigo” migraines and called in so it was up to me to take care of him, plus run to a couple stores for things we needed, cook dinner, etc. I was beat.
And, as always, I’ve been working on orders for my shop and I’m frequently adding new things, so don’t forget to check it out. Also, if you haven’t already, you should also check out my PhoenixFire Designs Facebook Page since I show off custom pieces, new items and announce coupons/sales/contests there.
Alright well, my fingers are tired so that’s enough for today. Thanks for everyone’s well-wishes with Ginger! Little orange kitten is doing wonderfully.
Ginger’s Spay
Now that I finally have my car back (after a month of Love needing to drive it while we saved up to get his fixed), I was able to call the Spay and Neuter Clinic and make an appointment for Ginger’s spay. It’s for TOMORROW (September 4th) and I’m all nervous now.
I know it’s a routine surgery and they do it all the time but this time it’s MY little girl having it done and of course, that’s scary for me.
Ginger checks out the pet carrier (and bites the plastic.)
So any good thoughts, positive energy and well-wishes for the little orange fuzzbutt tomorrow are greatly appreciated.
Ginger says to photograph HER, not my jewelry.
Thanks and….Eek!
15% Off Sale at PhoenixFire Designs – One Week Only
Love’s car has been on the fritz and about two weeks ago, he “parked” it until we could save up for the repairs. In the meantime he’s been taking my car to work, leaving me stuck the apartment with no way to get out and do anything. It’s driving me crazy. We’re about halfway to our goal for the repairs but I can’t take being car-less any longer.
So I’m running a one-week sale of 15% off any purchase of $20 or more!
August 14th – 21st 2013 use code STIRCRAZY for 15% off your PhoenixFireDesigns order!
Use code STIRCRAZY at PhoenixFire Designs between 8/14/2013 – 8/21/2013 for 15% off any purchase of $20 or more.
Lego With a Side Order of Proselytization
Lego has a program called CUUSOO where fans can create and submit Lego build ideas and through a long and lengthy voting and vetting process, some of those fan-inspired creations can become actual Lego sets. Most recently, on August 1st, Lego released their much anticipated Back to the Future Lego DeLorean Time Machine.
I am a massive Back to the Future fan. I have music from the BttF Overture as my ringtone, I own multiple copies of the trilogy on DVD and Blu-Ray (every time it comes out with new features, I buy it again), I have BttF shirts, a scale model DeLorean, BttF time machine Hot Wheels, etc. It’s my favorite movie of all time. So I knew when it came out I was going to order it. There was just no way I couldn’t have something as awesome as that in my collection!
On August 1st, I almost put in my order with Lego.com but then I thought I’d support a small(er) business and wound up ordering it through the fan site, BTTF.net instead. Now I’m not going to hotlink them because what was supposed to be a really great moment for this BttF fan turned into an upsetting experience that I felt was important to let other people know about.
First off, though I bought it on the 1st, they had issues with getting their supply from Lego. I got an email on August 5th explaining they were having difficulties. On August 8th, I got an email my package shipped. Checking tracking however, it really shipped two days later on the 10th and I finally received it yesterday, August 12th.
And while all of that delay was frustrating, it wasn’t my real issue with the transaction. This was:
Religious propaganda included in my order from bttf.net
I tore open the box with glee and this shit came out. This stupid, stupid card selling some bullshit bible study. (I’ve removed the URL because they’re not getting free advertising from me.) I was blindsided! I never in a million years would have expected to receive Christian propaganda with my order! This was a long-established site. It had been around for years! I used to love visiting it for news and updates for fans of BttF (events, or news about actors from the movies, etc.) Just a nice, innocent way to keep up with my favorite film.
But this just ruined it for me. The entire experience was soured by this damned card. I feel violated. I feel betrayed. What was supposed to be this awesome moment is tainted by pushy bullshit that’s completely unrelated to the product or the movie. So I wrote a letter to Stephen Clark, who I believe is the founder of bttf.com and who had sent the emails informing me about the status of my order. I’ve copied it below:
Mr. Clark,
I am writing because of a serious issue with regards to my Bttf.net order. It’s not the delay in the shipping (despite the fact I got a misleading notification that it shipped on the 8th but it really didn’t ship until the 10th and I received it on the 12th.) I understand that there can be issues outside of your control in terms of dealing with a third party supplier.
My problem is that I was so excited to receive my Lego DeLorean up until the moment I opened the box and found an absolutely unwanted, unprofessional and utterly inappropriate Christian propaganda business card advertising some bible school. It was the first thing that fell out of the box. I was literally disgusted. I did NOT order proselytization, I ordered a Lego toy. I do not appreciate receiving offensive garbage like this in what is supposed to be a professional transaction. Back to the Future has nothing to do with religion and I never would have ordered from you had I realized you were going to shove religion down my throat! It’s appalling that you would find this acceptable in what is supposed to be a business environment.
The entire joy and excitement over finally getting my long-awaited Lego DeLorean was completely ruined by this invasion of my personal privacy. What should have been a thrilling moment for a die-hard Back to the Future fan was needlessly soured and spoiled. I used to really look up to your site and respect the work you did in promoting and connecting Back to the Future fans but if this is the kind of thing you’re really doing, shoving your religion down fan’s throats and pushing a religious agenda, then count me out. I will never shop at your site again and I plan on blogging this incident to warn people away from supporting your business.
You should be ashamed of yourself.
-M. Turner
I also wanted to be sure to blog this so other people who do NOT appreciate receiving unsolicited and unwanted religious materials and proselytization can be warned away from doing business with bttf.net. Don’t buy from them if this is how they disrespect their customers.
Everyone is welcomed to believe whatever they want. But they don’t have the right to impose it on me. Especially when it’s unsolicited and what is supposed to be a professional, business transaction.
I’m trying to look at as-of-yet unbuilt Lego DeLorean Time Machine and remember how excited I was to receive it before I got hit with religious materials. And how it’s not Lego’s fault; Lego did not send me propaganda so don’t let the website’s bullshit ruin it for me.
But I’m finding myself disenchanted with it now. I look at it and think how I was sucker punched. I feel duped; like a fool for having given money to people who would do this kind of thing. It sickens me. And I don’t want anyone else to feel this way.
So for those of you who don’t appreciate this kind of pushy religious agenda, I urge you to spend your money elsewhere. Do NOT support bttf.com or bttf.net shop. I don’t want anyone else to ever lose the joy of what should be a fun item simply because someone can’t keep their personal beliefs to themselves where it belongs.
:: about ::
36 year old Pagan female who lives in Florida with her guy andtwothree cats, loves Disney, reads fanatically, tinkers in photography and runs her own small jewelry business.
Inadvertently became the face of Healthcare Reform in America by posting the (in)famous "I am Obamacare" image and sharing the story of her hysterectomy at age 34. Now runs her own small business, PhoenixFire Designs, full-time.
Our best friend passed away suddenly March 13, 2010. Three years later, it's still hard. The full story can be read here.: photo & art prints :
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My grandmother, aunt and sister are all breast cancer survivors. Please do self-exams, get yearly mammograms and help the fight to find a cure.
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