Wednesday, October 31, 2012

PotW 10/31/2012


Hi Everyone, and Happy Halloween!  

(combined list from Chicago Now and Gawker)
Ready to hand out (or collect) some goodies tonight?  Here's what your Halloween Treats say about you:  

Tootsie Roll: You’re a thrifty sort, hardly prone to fits of spontaneity. In fact, such an idea makes you uncomfortable. You find it reckless and unwise, like swimming at night or visiting an unfamiliar barber.

Snickers: Quick with a laugh, steady and predictable. People feel like they’ve known you all their lives upon first meeting you and rarely have anything bad to say about you.

Twix: There are two sides to you. Sure, you’re pleasant most of the time, but there’s a hard edge underneath. It’s a good thing, but it does add a layer of complexity that can otherwise be absent in your peers.

Circus Peanuts: Sadists. Out to ruin everything for everyone. Unreasonable and perverse. You’re unpleasant to be around and that’s just the way you like it. People will exhaust all other options before coming to you for anything.

Kit Kat: Tolerant and generous. You’re quick to share, but as a consequence, everyone wants a piece of you. Although you frequently spread yourself thin, you never fail to deliver.

Sour Patch Kids: Your first impression is that of a harsh, bitter person, and that causes others to prematurely judge you. But those that take the time to get to know you realize you can really be quite sweet and charming.

Starburst: Everybody likes you, even if they don’t enjoy everything about you. There are just parts of your personality that don’t sit well with some. And when those parts come out, people end up trying to pass you off on others.

100 Grand: You know what you have and you have no problem showing it. You wear flashy jewelry and sunglasses indoors. You’re surrounded by hangers-on whom you call your friends, but deep down you know they’d turn their back on you the second things went bad.

M&M’s: Yes, you like variety, but you never stray too far from what you know best. You got this far doing things your way and see no reason to make drastic changes. No sir, you’ll stick to what you know, thank you very much.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups: Incredibly likable because everyone finds something in you they enjoy. Friendly and approachable, there’s just something indescribably wonderful about you. Even when you’re a little salty, there’s an underlying sweetness to you.

Butterfinger: Flaky, evasive and unreliable. You’ll say whatever it takes to get you out of a situation, no matter how benign. Just when people think they’ve gotten through to you, you find a new way to fall apart. Often picked last for games involving catching

Tiny Candy Bars:The mainstream allotment is one per child. This is fair and just. It says that you care about Halloween, but not too much. Bonus points if you  give out single Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.Kids love them some peanuty chocolate goodness.


Sweet Tarts: Not just Sweet Tarts really, but anything non-chocolate based like Skittles, Starburst or Lifesavers. Again, like the "Tiny Candy Bars" person, you're into Halloween and doing your duty, but you want everyone to think that you're a little bit wacky and crazy. Chocolate is way too cliché for you.

Candy CornBig mistake. Who the hell gives out candy corn to trick or treaters? Sure it's the traditional seasonal treat, but you don't give it out to kids so it gets all clumpy and gross at the bottom of their trick or treat bags. This just means that you don't know what kids like.

Carob:  Boo! You are a stupid vegan hippy who wants to ruin one of the best days of the year for everyone around you. You think that pushing your "doesn't cast a shadow" agenda is more important than children's joy.

Lollipops: Lollipops are always the only thing left at the store on the afternoon before Halloween, because they're kind of an afterthought. You ran out of time and now you're dolling out Dum Dums with the hope that the kids will like the mystery flavor. 

Full Size Candy Bars: You're just a show off. You want to impress all the parents in the hood that you make so much money or you're so cool that you are splurging on giant sized candy bars.

Hersey KissesYou're really more of a Christmas person, aren't you?

TWO WILLOWS JEWELRY:  Shows impeccable taste and cost-consciousness at the same time.  Also an appreciation for the fact that long after the candy is gone, you'll have something beautiful to show for your expenditure.  Plus, all TWJ styles are ZERO calorie and won't rot your teeth.  See this week's feature on the site.  Link below my signature.

Kim
Two Willows Jewelry

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

PotW 10/24/12

Hi Everyone!

Sometimes when I write to you, I have something in mind well before I sit down at the computer.  Sometimes the featured item of the week inspires the topic and I can share information about the source or meaning of the materials used.  Sometimes I need to vent about circus life.  Sometimes I am at a complete loss and bail out to an "On this day in History" Google search. 

Usually I write, then update the website.  I don't know why I do it in that order, except that I sometimes "name" the item so that it goes with what I have written.  Not that it matters, but that's my usual M.O.    Today, I knew what I wanted to feature on the site, but had no relevant topic in mind, and yet I proceeded to update the site, then published it for all to see BEFORE I had any idea whatsoever what I would write about---(it's a 'bail out solution' kind of day).  I wonder if it'll all come together somehow...

October 24th....down through the years...

1861:  Western Union completed its first transmission line across the continental U.S., eventually leading to the demise of the Pony Express

1901:  Annie Edson Taylor wins the contest to become the first person to successfully go over Niagara Falls in a barrel.   It was her 63rd birthday.  

1929:  It was a Thursday that year....  

1931:  Alphonse Gabriel Capone is sentenced to 11 years in prison.

It surprised me to find a handful of days that have something in common.  Did you spot the theme?  (SCROLL DOWN for answer.....)











 All of these days have something to do with money! 
>Western Union can be used to wire money.  
>Annie Taylor went over the Falls for the sake of the cash award--which her manager later embezzled from her.
>"Black Thursday" was the first day of the stock market crash that led to the Great Depression.
>Al Capone was convicted of tax evasion, the only one of his crimes they were able to pin on him.

As it turns out, the money theme happens to work just fine with the Piece of the Week.  Not because it costs a lot of money, either.  You'll just have to go to the website and check it out (link below my signature).  

And yes,  I did go back to the website and change the name of the feature to go with what I have written.  This will be the last week I put cart before horse where the message and the site update are concerned.  Doing it the other way seems to have a purpose after all!

Until next week--Get your Halloween costume (and candy) ready!
Kim
Two Willows Jewelry

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

PotW 10/3/12


Hi Everyone-

Sorry to have missed getting a message out to you last week.  I had high hopes of getting my new Foredom drill all set up so that I could start drilling some of the beautiful beach pebbles I've gathered and been given.  Alas, the new drill is much heavier than the little, old Dremel I have been using, and when I hung it on the same aluminum pole stand I had been using on my workbench, it bent rather precariously.  Not good for my peace of mind while sitting at the bench.  Not good for the new (and not cheap) drill if it crashed into my skull and onto the floor.  So anyway---I have a nice beefy stand on order and as soon as it gets here, gets bolted to the bench and the Foredom gets plugged in, I'll have some beach stone items to show you.   In the meantime---

On this day in history, October 3, 1941, Ernest Evans was born in Spring Gulley, South Carolina.  Ernest was the son of a tobacco picker whose family later moved to Philadelphia.  As a young boy in Philly he held various jobs--shining shoes, selling ice and working in a butcher shop.  While working to move crates of vegetables at Anastazi's Produce stand, his thick and burly frame earned him the nickname most people know him by to this day. 

Ernest grew up singing in the church his family attended, but he was also influenced by other musicians of his day such as Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley, and eventually formed a group of his own called "The Quantrells".  His group caught the attention of Philadelphia record executives, and was signed to a contract in 1959.  They had a couple of early hits: "The Class" and "Dancing Dinosaur" (every heard of either of these?), but it wasn't until Ernest did a re-make of a song originally performed by Hank Ballard that he became popular enough to be invited to appear on American Bandstand.

The song he performed on Bandstand spent 18 weeks at #1, and a total of 49 weeks in the top 10.  The dance associated with the song was a pop culture revolution in that it gave couples the freedom to break away from each other on the dance floor.  So popular was this 1961 hit that it spawned 2 movies starring Ernest, one in 1961 and one in 1962 and  3 'sequel' tunes, the last one as recently as 1999.

So, since it is Ernest's birthday today, I thought I'd create a new design in homage.  Go to the website for a photo of the "Let's Twist" earrings, hot off the bench this very afternoon. And until next week--

Birthday cakeHAPPY 71st BIRTHDAY, CHUBBY CHECKER!!  Birthday cake

Kim
Two Willows Jewelry
http://www.twowillowsjewelry.com   (PotW is on the "Odds-n-Ends"page)