Happy Holidays: Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Other Celebrations!

Wishing everyone the very happiest of whatever you celebrate this time of year! Lots of Love, light, peace and joy from The Createability team.

Createability Team Treasuries

I hope you will click on this link
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/search/?search_query=Createability+Team&search_type=treasury

It is a search string that will take you to the list of treasuries that have been made by or featuring members of the Createability Team. We hope that you will click and comment on these treasuries to move them up the ranks and give them a shot of being seen on Etsy's Front Page.

Shop of the Weekend

This time we get to know another member of the Createability Team, Carapace. She designed the pill bottle we now use as our team Logo!

Carapace's Shop Announcement

****I have 500 hearts! I think that deserves a party, don't you? Come over to my blog at www.caramakes.blogspot.com and join in my 500 hearts giveaway!***

Welcome, welcome! Come in to my cabinet of curiosities, home to wonders gathered from the four corners of my studio! See something you like? Take a closer look, maybe it will tell its story. All my pictures and pieces have stories,and all orders from my store ship with their descriptions.

Come back again soon- there's something new every week!

Have something in mind that's not in my shop? Drop me a convo, I adore custom orders!

Bio

All my work is handmade by me, though I reserve the right to borrow inspiration from anything that holds still long enough to be studied. I work from a smoke-free but cat-debted studio.


Proud member of:
Creatability:
http://www.createabilityteametsy.blogspot.com/
Team Etsy Texas:
http://etsytexascrafters.etsy.com
FAE team:
http://fantasyartofetsy.webng.com/
http://fantasyartofetsy.blogspot.com/
Etsy Bloggers:
http://etsybloggers.com
Etsy Friends:
http://etsyfriends.blogspot.com/

Those who want to know more about my mystic creation process, read on, and prepare to be amazed by the creative mi...

Read more

• Born on August 3
• Joined December 14, 2007

Favorite materials

Clay, paint, felt, and anything green

Createability Team Annual Thanksgiving Sale

The team will have another annual sale over the US Thanksgiving weekend, from Thursday to Monday, November 25 to 29th.

Teammates are welcome to offer any sort of deal or sale they wish – a percentage off (some or all items), free shipping, BOGO, free gift, etc. You are also welcome to combine this sale with one from another team, or to offer it for a longer period of time.

We will again ask members to promote the sale however they can – blogs, twitter, Facebook, etc. We will run a promo thread again, & if Etsy runs any promotions for that weekend, we will submit teammates to be considered. Last year we got two teammates into the Etsy Finds email one day & both had several sales!


Here is a list of those team members participating in this year's event:
AilorsAttic.etsy.com 20% off everything
ajbcreations.etsy.com 40% off plus free gift
AStonesThrow.etsy.com Buy one, get one 50% off
beadedrelics.etsy.com 10% off everything
berrybluecreations.etsy.com 50% off select items
BirdhouseBlessings.etsy.com free marshmallowman ornament with $15 purchase
BlackMagicStudio.etsy.com Free shipping +10% off everything.
blacksheepdesigns.etsy.com 15% off everything
cabbingrough.etsy.com 50% off everything
Carapace.etsy.com prints for $7
cindylouwho2.etsy.com 10% off everything
crochetbymsa.etsy.com free shipping plus free gift
cuddlebugkids.etsy.com 10% off everything
Debsparkles.etsy.com 50% off select items
ElainaLouiseStudios.etsy.com 10% off + free shipping to US & Canada
EllesBelle.etsy.com 15% off everything
flamingolady.etsy.com Different sales through the shop
freshpikd4u.etsy.com 15% off everything use code HAPPYHOLIDAYS
GrannysKnits.etsy.com 50% off everything
HandPaintedPetals.etsy.com 10-20% off everything
Harvestmoonbyhand.etsy.com Free gift for every $10 spent (excluding shipping)
jeanetteranney.etsy.com Free shipping plus free gift
kittyanydots.etsy.com 20% off everything
MadeByMari.etsy.com Free Beaded Snowflake with any Purchase
May7th.etsy.com 25% off everything
merigreenleaf.etsy.com 15% off everything, excluding custom dolls.

mistyridge.etsy.com 10% off everything.
obachansflowers.etsy.com free shipping
PhotosByChipperfield.etsy.com BOGO sale, free shipping to US & Canada
RivetingArt.etsy.com 25% off everything; 40% off Black Friday only
Sunnyplainquilting.etsy.com 20% off everything
sunshinebycindy.etsy.com 10% off everything
For updates on the list of shops who are participating and for Createability members to get added to the list, please check out these Etsy Forum Threads:
http://www.etsy.com/teams/5732/createability-team/discuss/6676013/
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6670266

Interested in joining the Createability Team?
Here are the requirements: http://www.etsy.com/teams/5732/createability-team

Shop of the Weekend

Let's get to know asianflair, another member of the Createability Team

asianflair's Shop Announcement

❖OUR SIMPLE SHIPPING POLICY❖
No additional cost for multiple items. Whichever item has the highest shipping cost, that will be the total shipping for your order.

NEW TO ETSY? There are some helpful links on our shop policies page:http://www.etsy.com/shop_policy.php?user_id=9628826

If you like rabbits, our other shop, Rabbittude at rabbittude.etsy.com, is all about bunnies!

Bio

Welcome To Asian Flair

❖-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------❖

Okay, we admit it, most of the time we are all about the bunny (see our shop rabbittude.etsy.com). Sometimes,though, we just need to change gears, sneak away from the rabbits and do something different. 

Blaine Pullin is the computer guru, shipping manager, and resident green thumb. Rebecca Pullin is the artist, designer and communicator.

------------------------------------------------------------❖❖❖------------------------------------------------------------

From Rebecca On Artistic Influences -

❖ The culture and ...

Read more

• Joined March 28, 2010

Favorite materials

Sterling silver, pewter, copper, pearls, natural gemstones,shell, Swarovski cyrstals, leather, beads, paper, printer,inks, fabric

ETSY PHOTOGRAPHY FOR THE AMATEUR

This article was written by MadeByMari

Here's a trick for your any of your photos in order to get them uniform.  It takes away a lot of steps of camera-fiddling!   INSTEAD OF ZOOMING IN to get all the details, and then getting less-than-perfect results with your colors and focus, try this when trying to get a good set:

1.  Set your camera to fairly HIGH MEGAPIXELS like in the 2000-3000 range if it goes that high

2.  Leave the camera on “wide angle” or “fairly far away" shot.

3.  Turn your flash ON if the lighting warrants it.

4.  Now pull the camera back a ways. At least 18"

5.  Sometimes I have it on "MACRO" (The little flower symbol) and it works well.  It all depends on the size of what you’re taking.

6.  The item will look fairly small in the viewing window.

7.  Hold down the shutter/picture taking button half way til it focuses, then push it til it CLICKS.  Be sure to be at a slight angle so you don’t get a flash glare.

8.  Take at least twice as many pictures as you will need.  Digital pictures are “cheap” to delete or retake!

And if you want a totally great closeup of a tiny object:

1.  Put it on MACRO (the little flower symbol again)

2.  DO NOT ZOOM IN AT ALL

3.  Turn the flash on

4.  Place the camera very close -- sometimes within a couple of inches

5.  Angle so the flash doesn't wash it all out.

6.  Focus and click.

After you have loaded them into the computer, fire up your photo editor:

1.  Crop it  so the picture of your item is centered how you want it and you still have some “white space” around it.

2.  Note that your pixels will still be high so it will be sharp

3.  Now "resize" to about 1000x1000. It’s OK to be somewhat close, like 1100 x 800 or even 1200 x 700 etc.

4.  If you need to brighten the photo, do so in slow increments using your photo editor.

Your blacks should be black,

Your reds shouldn’t blur out too bright.

And your backgrounds should be sharp (unless you are intentionally blurring them.

Heck I use regular lights, fluorescent, halogen, and incandescent. I have a piece of white cardstocked taped behind my clothes dummy on the patio door. Low tech.  My products aren’t really fancy, but I want them to show up.  Seems like I’m achieving that according to my buyers!

Good luck and have fun.

Shop of the Weekend

Createability Team brings you this weekend's featured Shop
WillowGlenDrive

WillowGlenDrive's Shop Announcement

Welcome, and thank you for stopping by.

Willow Glen Drive is pleased to offer you treasured vintage items, as well as unique handmade creations.

If you've never made a purchase on Etsy before, don't worry, here are step by step instructions. http://www.etsy.com/help_guide_checkout.php

You can view my customer feedback here
http://www.etsy.com/feedback_received.php?feedback_type=from_buyers

Member of Etsy Createability Team

Bio

I have been designing and creating original jewelry for over 20 years. Come take a peek at my online boutique!www.etsy.com/shop/ajbcreations

• Female
• Joined February 05, 2010

Favorite materials

anything, everything

Shop of the Weekend

Welcome to Hells Sewing Circle!
Uncommon Originals and Museum Quality Prints.

August is Wonderful: FREE archival mats for all works on paper!

Proceeds go towards earning a degree in International Affairs

Letter to the Team From Our Team Leader

Hello Createability Team! It has been 2 years since our fabulous team began, so it seemed like a good time to update everyone on what has been going on.


1) GROUPS In the near future, Etsy will be moving the Team pages to the new Groups function - see this article:
http://www.etsy.com/storque/etsy-news/announcing-etsy-groups-in-beta-10201/
It seems easy to use, & we can tag the team page so that people will be able to search through teams for ones that suit them. That will also be the eventual location of the team threads, which will make it easier for members to find us every month.

When our team is finally invited, you will receive an email from Etsy (although it will also have my name in it), asking you to join our group. If you do not join the group at that time, you are by default no longer part of the team.

While Etsy teams are in this transition phase, I am unable to add new member names to our old team page:
http://team.etsy.com/viewteam.php?id=453
If you would like to see a full list of current teammates, please check out the right side of the Createability blog:
http://www.createabilityteametsy.blogspot.com/


2) TEAM SALE The team will have another annual sale over the US Thanksgiving weekend, from Thursday to Monday, November 25 to 29th. Teammates are welcome to offer any sort of deal or sale they wish – a percentage off (some or all items), free shipping, BOGO, free gift, etc. You are also welcome to combine this sale with one from another team, or to offer it for a longer period of time. We will again ask members to promote the sale however they can – blogs, twitter, Facebook, etc. We will run a promo thread again, & if Etsy runs any promotions for that weekend, we will submit teammates to be considered. Last year we got two teammates into the Etsy Finds email one day & both had several sales!

IF YOU WISH TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SALE , please contact me by Monday November 22 with the type of sale you will offer. We will need a few days to get the blog post prepared


3) TEAM PARTICIPATION We have had a discussion in the team thread in the forum, and people have agreed that the team needs a participation rule. DON’T WORRY – it will not be as onerous as many teams are. After some discussion among active members, I have decided that every teammate needs to participate at least once every 3 months, unless you are on leave, on vacation time, or otherwise are unable to participate & have let me know that you still want to be on the team. We understand that not everyone can keep up with the team chat thread, or even check in once a week, so we are not asking for that. Although some people want a one-month rule, I know from my convos with you that that would be too difficult for some members

WAYS to PARTICIPATE – choose at least one every 3 months

a) post in the team chat thread http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6670266
b) post in the team promotions thread http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6670270
c) prepare a post for the team blog: http://www.createabilityteametsy.blogspot.com/ please submit that to berrybluecreations.etsy.com
d) post items to our team Flickr page http://www.flickr.com/groups/createability/
e) make a treasury with at least a few teammates (convo it to me so I know, or post in a thread)
f) blog about one or more teammates (convo it to me so I know, or post in a thread)
g) YOUR IDEA HERE – we would love to have more team activities.

IF YOU NO LONGER WISH TO BE ON THE CREATEABILITY TEAM, please contact me via email or convo at cindylouwho2.etsy.com

IF YOU WISH TO STAY ON THE TEAM, please participate in the next 3 months. Or contact me & let me know that you cannot participate right now. If your shop is in vacation mode, I will not remove you from the team.


I think that is all for now – I will email out a final list for the team sale on the day it starts, & will include the promotions thread link.

Wishing everyone the best for the remainder of 2010


Cindy

Shop of the Weekend

Welcome to my shop and thank you for visiting!

Obachan's Flowers are hair accessories and brooch pins made from different fabrics (like cotton, linen, silk and polyesters) using fabric-folding techniques. These accessories are inspired by kanzashi used in traditional Japanese hairstyles. If you want to learn more about them, you can do that here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanzashi

All of my items are made and kept in a smoke-free, but dog-friendly home. I do prevent the dogs from playing around and with my items.

******TRADE FRIENDLY******

Want something, but don't see it listed? Convo me and we can work something out!

Have any suggestions, comments, or questions? Feel free to contact me!

**** Member of The Etsy Dlisters ******
**** Member of Kansas Etsy Team ******
**** Member of The Createability Team *

Shop of the Weekend

Birdhouses that are handcrafted and hand painted with joy. They are built to be functional but many of our customers say they are too pretty to put outside. They have at least six coats of clear coat on them so that they can be put out in the elements.

These are UNIQUE, ONE-OF-A-KIND, birdhouses which make excellent gifts. We will personalize upon request. If there is something special you want painted on a birdhouse, feel free to contact me.

We now offer wholesale prices on purchases of three or more large birdhouses (not the ornamental size), please convo me for details.

Here is our blogspot in case you are interested in following:

http://birdhouseblessings.blogspot.com/

You can also follow us on twitter and kaboodle.

We also have more product on Birdhouseblessings.artfire.com

Shop of the Weekend

Hello! Welcome to my shop!
I make a lot of custom bridal and bridesmaid's jewelry so click on that section to the right. I also have the exclusive line of Art Is Healthy t shirts.

New to Etsy? Here's a quick guide to the checkout process
http://www.etsy.com/help_guide_checkout.php

Here you'll find handmade artisan jewelry designed and made by me with freshwater pearls, gemstones, and glass. In addition I make unique and original Art is Healthy t shirts and onesies.
All Art is Healthy T shirts are 100% cotton and hand painted. The grey shirts are made by Alternative Apparel and the black ones are by Anvil. Men's sizes in black are also available and will be listed soon. Art is Healthy is a Registered Trademark of Juliana's Creations.
I also opened a beadshop on etsy for my destash, it is at www.juliesbeadshop.etsy.com and the title of the store is The Bead Orphanage!

Keep up to date with what's going on at Juliana's Creations; FREE EARRINGS WITH YOUR ORDER IF YOU BECOME A FAN ON FACEBOOK!! Just be sure to tell me with a note when you check out.(cut and paste this link below, just search Juliana's Creations in the Facebook search box.)

Convo me with jewelry or t shirt questions.

Createability Team Etsy Shop of The Weekend

To rejuvenate a feature and change it up a bit; we are going to feature a shop from the pool of active Etsy Minis on the blog. Each weekend until we run through the Etsy Minis That are viewable on the blog. So please, visit the featured shop of the weekend and enjoy your shopping trip. To Kick things off we'll visit http://libertyimages.etsy.com

Realist, optimistic fine art photography featuring classic cars, vintage Americana, nature, architecture, retro memories, and more. My goal is to capture and share the character of my beloved America through my original photographs, hence (in part) the name Liberty Images.

An independent, self-taught photographer, I love travelling around my town, my state, and my country taking pictures so I may share what I see with others. If I can find an excuse to leave the country for tropical climes to photograph, I do that as well! Winters are long and cold here. :) When I'm not shooting, I'm working on the photos in my studio with Granny Smith-apple green walls and striped curtains.

See an item you think your favourite car guy or art fan will love? Just use the "Email" link on the right-hand side of the screen and you can email a photo to them quickly and easily.

Did you know you can follow my shop via RSS? Check it out! Be among the first to know when there's a new print in the store:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/LibertyImages/rss

If you're looking for any photo in another size, more likely than not, it's available. Just send me a convo and I'll reply quickly. Enjoy your shopping, and if you have any questions, simply send a convo. 

✧ ✧ ✧ As seen in Pennsylvania magazine. ✧ ✧ ✧

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zachsdame
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LibertyImages

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please keep in mind that images shown here are at a dramatically lower resolution than they are actually printed at. Your print will be crystal-clear and beautifully sharp, and is carefully packaged between foam core and tissue paper prior to being packaged in a Tyvek envelope to prevent damage in the mail.

New Group Feature Coming to Etsy and New Look Coming for the Team

The images are works  in progress of what some of our team members are working on for the new banner= logo for the team's group page that will be in effect in the hopefully near future.

To find out more on this new feature, please read this article found in Etsy's blog called The Storque
http://www.etsy.com/storque/etsy-news/announcing-etsy-groups-in-beta-10201/

We really need input from the team about the new look of the banner and avatar. Feedback is greatly appreciated. You can leave comments here or in the team forum. Thank you, Createability Team Blog Committee

Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week

Some of the members of The Createability Team are already aware of Mitochondrial Disease. If you are not aware of this disease, you can find out more information by clicking on this link

http://www.umdf.org/site/c.otJVJ7MMIqE/b.5472191/k.BDB0/Home.htm

What is Mitochondrial Disease

Mitochondrial diseases result from failures of the mitochondria, specialized compartments present in every cell of the body except red blood cells. Mitochondria are responsible for creating more than 90% of the energy needed by the body to sustain life and support growth. When they fail, less and less energy is generated within the cell. Cell injury and even cell death follow. If this process is repeated throughout the body, whole systems begin to fail, and the life of the person in whom this is happening is severely compromised. The disease primarily affects children, but adult onset is becoming more and more common.

Diseases of the mitochondria appear to cause the most damage to cells of the brain, heart, liver, skeletal muscles, kidney and the endocrine and respiratory systems.

Depending on which cells are affected, symptoms may include loss of motor control, muscle weakness and pain, gastro-intestinal disorders and swallowing difficulties, poor growth, cardiac disease, liver disease, diabetes, respiratory complications, seizures, visual/hearing problems, lactic acidosis, developmental delays and susceptibility to infection.

Energy Factories and Much More

The conventional teaching in biology and medicine is that mitochondria function only as "energy factories" for the cell.  This over-simplification is a mistake which has slowed our progress toward understanding the biology underlying mitochondrial disease.  It takes about 3000 genes to make a mitochondrion.  Mitochondrial DNA encodes just 37 of these genes; the remaining genes are encoded in the cell nucleus and the resultant proteins are transported to the mitochondria.  Only about 3% of the genes necessary to make a mitochondrion (100 of the 3000) are allocated for making ATP.  More than 95% (2900 of 3000) are involved with other functions tied to the specialized duties of the differentiated cell in which it resides.  These duties change as we develop from embryo to adult, and our tissues grow, mature, and adapt to the postnatal environment.  These other, non-ATP-related functions are intimately involved with most of the major metabolic pathways used by a cell to build, break down, and recycle its molecular building blocks.  Cells cannot even make the RNA and DNA they need to grow and function with out mitochondria.  The building blocks of RNA and DNA are purines and pyrimidines.  Mitochondria contain the rate-limiting enzymes for pyrimidine biosynthesis (dihydroorotate dehydrogenase) and home synthesis (d-amino levulinic acid synthetase) required to make hemoglobin.  In the liver, mitochondria are specialized to detoxify ammonia in the urea cycle.  Mitochondria are also required for cholesterol metabolism, for estrogen and testosterone synthesis, for neurotransmitter metabolism, and for free radical production and detoxification.  They do all this in addition to breaking down (oxidizing) the fat, protein, and carbohydrates we eat and drink.

Defining Mitochondrial Disease

Mitochondrial diseases are the result of either inherited or spontaneous mutations in mtDNA or nDNA which lead to altered functions of the proteins or RNA molecules that normally reside in mitochondria.  Problems with mitochondrial function, however, may only affect certain tissues as a result of factors occurring during development and growth that we do not yet understand.  Even when tissue-specific isoforms of mitochondrial proteins are considered, it is difficult to explain the variable patterns of affected organ systems in the mitochondrial disease syndromes seen clinically.

Genocopies of Mitochondrial Disease

Because mitochondria perform so many different functions in different tissues, there are literally hundreds of different mitochondrial diseases.  Each disorder produces a spectrum of abnormalities that can be confusing to both patients and physicians in early stages of diagnosis.  Because of the complex interplay between the hundreds of genes and cells that must cooperate to keep our metabolic machinery running smoothly, it is a hallmark of mitochondrial diseases that identical mtDNA mutations may not produce identical diseases.  Genocopies are diseases that are caused by the same mutation but which may not look the same clinically.

Phenocopies of Mitochondrial Disease

The converse is also true: different mutations in mtDNA and nDNA can lead to the same diseases.  In genetics, these are known as phenocopies.  A good example is Leigh syndrome, which can be caused by about a dozen different gene defects.  Leigh syndrome, originally a neuropathological description of the brain of one affected child, was described by Denis Leigh, the distinguished British physician, in 1951.  It is characterized by bilaterally symmetrical MRI abnormalities in the brain stem, cerebellum, and basal ganglia, and often accompanied by elevated lactic acid levels in the blood or cerebrospinal fluid.  Leigh syndrome may be caused by the NARP mutation, the MERRF mutation, complex I deficiency, cytochrome oxidase (COX) deficiency, pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) deficiency, and other unmapped DNA changes.  Not all children with these DNA abnormalities will go on to develop Leigh syndrome, however.

Mitochondrial diseases are even more complex in adults because detectable changes in mtDNA occur as we age and, conversely, the aging process itself may result from deteriorating mitochondrial function.  There is a broad spectrum of metabolic, inherited and acquired disorders in adults in which abnormal mitochondrial function has been postulated or demonstrated.

Adapted/selected sections from Robert Naviaux's "Overview, the Spectrum of Mitochondrial Disease" in the Mitochondrial and Metabolic Disorders, Primary Care Physician's Guide, second edition.

September is here!

Welcome to September! School is back in session, it's football season, Autumn is right around the corner for some and Spring is budding in other parts of the world. Createability Team is welcoming many new members.


The Createability Team is a group of Etsy sellers with disabilities or who are caregivers to disabled people. The team exists to provide support and advice to each other, as well as opportunities to chat and promote!

Find us all by searching for the team tag "Createability Team"

More information about the team here:
http://team.etsy.com/viewteam.php?id=453

our blog, maintained by berrybluecreations.etsy.com and http://www.etsy.com/shop/flamingolady
http://www.createabilityteametsy.blogspot.com/ 

Flickr group, run by admin cuddlebugkids.etsy.com
http://www.flickr.com/groups/createability/

To join the team, please contact cindylouwho2 at cindylouwho2.etsy.com


 The September Forum Thread is here
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6616611

old thread was here, if you need to catch up!
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6589698

Welcome to August

The calender says that it is August. For those going back to school or have kids going back to school it means that summer is almost over.  We sincerely hope everyone is enjoying themselves and staying happy and healthy.
Remember to check out the tag "createability team" when shopping on Etsy. By doing so, you will find beautiful, useful, whimsical and practical items in a variety of price points.
The Createability Team is a group of Etsy sellers with disabilities or who are caregivers to disabled people. The team exists to provide support and advice to each other, as well as opportunities to chat and promote!

Find us all by searching for the team tag "Createability Team"

More information about the team here:
http://team.etsy.com/viewteam.php?id=453

our blog, maintained by berrybluecreations.etsy.com 
http://www.createabilityteametsy.blogspot.com/ 

Flickr group, run by admin cuddlebugkids.etsy.com
http://www.flickr.com/groups/createability/

To join the team, please contact  cindylouwho2.etsy.com

The July Etsy Forum Thread is here
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6563193