Guess who's back?

Yesterday I had a wonderful surprise waiting when I got home - Tzipi the World Traveling Flutterbutt returned home from her almost year long trip. On January 31st she left Israel to go on a world tour visiting friends in England, Scotland, France, Belgium, New Zealand, Florida, Arizona and Virginia!

On her trip, Tzipi made some wonderful friends.

Was hosted like a princess with yummy foods, excellent accommodations and traveling to beautiful and strange places.

And even managed to get some work done.
 

So now what? Well, the original plan was for Tzipi to return and spend some time with my mom, but since it is too late for that, Tzip will join her fellow Flutterbutts in preparing for all the exciting projects we have planned for 2011.

Happy New Year everybody, and thank you for making this year so much better. And a special thank you for all those who took the time to host Tzipi and show her a good time while abroad. Especially to Sue and Donald in Florida, for whose health I am praying daily.

Finally some good news, praise the Lord!

After a very long time not seeing or reading about Tzip Tzip, she arrived (after getting a little lost on the way) to her new host, Erin the enchanted gnome knitter. She seems well and happy and ready for some exciting adventures with her new friends!

Hanging out at the office with Noam the gnome

 (photo by Fyrecreek)

And speaking of the good Lord and his gifts, here is my favorite gift as of now - Leonard Cohen's Halleluja performed in Spanish, by my favorite singer Yasmin Levy.

Candles by Donald or Candleguy's Place: Tzipi in Florida - The movie

Ladies and gentlemen - you must watch this little movie, it is the sweetest most wonderful thing you will see :o)

Candles by Donald or Candleguy's Place: Tzipi's Florida Adventure

Tzipi arrived to the US!

Those of you who follow the adventures of Tzipi the world traveling Flutterbutt will be excited to hear that after a long and joyful stay in New Zealand, Tzipi had arrived to her first hosts in the USA, Donald the Candle Guy and his wonderful wife Sue!

Donald writes:

Arriving from New Zealand, Tzipi was such a chatterbox with so many stories about her great adventure. She is a character.
After a day of rest she was anxious to help me in the garden. My squash was ready for harvest and I needed help. Tzipi jumped to my assistance and together we gathered a bountiful harvest.

The rest of the day was spent poolside and enjoying a fantastic day.

You can read more on his blog. I also encourage you to have a look at his beautiful candle shop. His art is truly unique and comes from a strong and loving heart, and his life story is remarkable and empowering. Tzipi is planning to spend some time in the candle workshop with him, which should be very exciting. I know I already said it before, but I will say it again - I wish I were Tzip.

Moo and sighs

This has been such a bad day for me.. The last couple of weeks have been so-so with a hint of bad, but today simply did it for me. I am tired, sad, angry and tired. My eyes burn and the only thing keeping me away from my bed, even though it's not even 10pm yet, is my wet hair.

I did get some wonderful packages in the mail today, which I will tell you about when I am more energetic. In the meanwhile, I wanted to show off my new Moo business cards, which I got for free using an Etsy gift code (the only down side on this deal is getting a Moo ad on the front of the card, which really isn't that terrible at all). They turned out so wonderful, I had to flaunt them a bit.

I usually go for the recycled matte business cards, but this time, since I used several images of my jewelry on white background, I decided to go with glossy-silky finish. I think that was a wise description. As you may know, I use these cards as a thank you note card for my Etsy customers, so most of the back is left blank for a personal note. My absolute favorite image is that of Pinky and Barbie enjoying a quiet evening togeather.

And speaking of evening and quiet, I will go to bed now in hope of waking up feeling much better. I owe you guys an update on Tzipi's adventures in New Zealand, I have not forgotten that!

A lazy holiday and a Tzipi update

Today is the last day of the Passover holiday that was celebrated with short workdays, several  vacation days and huge amounts of food. I spent most of the days, when not working, doing nothing. Yes, I cooked a bit, and met a friend or two and today I cleaned for several hours but that's about it. No amazing new puppets, no exciting blog posts, no hiking in the north. I know, I'm a boring person.

I did make some new earrings, but that's about it

Unlike me, Tzipi the world traveling Flutterbutt was all over the place, having loads of fun!

Arriving at Scotland, Tzipi was amazed to find she has a whole villa all for herself. She went to work with her host, Junie, and proved very helpful answering phones and working on the computer. She also took the time to email mommy every once in a while and update me on how she is doing and feeling. Ah, I raised her so well!

Poor Junie and Tzipi had no idea there is an ongoing postal strike in France, so Tzip spent the first few days of Passover stuck in a dark box. She finally arrived to her host the other day, and after a short rest, today she went horseback riding.

She has many adventures planned for her in France, including meeting a bishop! How very exciting. And after that - she will be on her way to New Zealand, the lucky girl!

Stay tuned for more on Tzipi soon. Her adventures are listed on the side bar of the blog for you to read. Also - if you are interested in hosting Tzipi comment here. One of her hosts in the US unfortunately had to leave the project, so we have an opening.

Tzipi's first month on the road

Tzipi the world traveling Flutterbutt has been on the road for nearly a month now and it's time to look back on some of her adventures so far.

In Kent, Heather knitted Tzipi a wonderful cuddly cardigan and took her to her favorite childhood dream fortress. Later, she got to meet a local celebrity.

In London Tzipi enjoyed some free time at Nathalie's home and later went on a long weekend in Brussles, where she made new friends. Nathalie also made her a handmade necklace!

And today, she arrived to Scotland, where she has a villa of her own all setup for her. I find it hard to believe she will be willing to leave her new residence, but we will have to wait and see what more Tzipish adventures lie ahead!

A warm thank you to all the hosts so far, you guys are the best (and obviously, some of the silliest as well).

Tzipi riding the Eurostar to Brussels

Photo by Nathalie from here

If you are hosting Tzipi, or want to promote this project  - Please add this button to your blog and link it to http://raisinlike.blogspot.com/search/label/World%20Traveling%20Flutterbutt

If you are outside of the UK and want to host Tzipi, comment here and let me know how I can get in touch with you.

Leap year babies galore

This year, there is no 29th in February so my birthday spreads across both the 28th and the first of March. I admit I had better birthdays in my time, and am not the most cheerful person these past couple of days (and getting less cheerful by the minute, as the garage manager calls every once in a while to tell me what else he found wrong with my car and how much it costs to fix it). Add to that the fact I am no healthier than I was last week, and you can imagine how thrilled I am.

Luckily, the bad weather delayed the official birthday celebration to the weekend, which allows me plenty of time to pout. And I got some lovely birthday thingies to cheer me up.

This is the cake my mom made me. The decoration is a bit off, cause she lost her special tool but I love it, and it is so yummy!

There was also birthday cake at work, and another at lunch so I expect to gain a few grams this week. Apart for cakes, I got several cool DVD's from friends in different countries, as well as these amazing earrings and this silly summery bag. I also got a milk foamer from my brother (he took his daughter with him to buy me a gift, and she said they should buy me something for drinking coffee).

I created a special Happy Birthday Fluttergirl to celebrate my annoying birthday, and she is now available on my shop.

I also made another Flutterbutt on Saturday, whom Junie named Roxie. She has lovely detailing and comes with her very own overnight bag!

That's it. Not bad for a grumpy old woman, eh?

Before I am done, you will find the accounts of Tzipi the world traveling Flutterbutt's adventures in Kent on the sidebar to the left. Next week, she is going to London. Want to support Tzipi? Grab a button (also on the sidebar) for your blog!

Am I still ill? Oh no

Oh yes, I am still ill damn it. A week and a half now, and it hasn't been a month since the last time. I am going to see a specialist next week in hopes of findings why I am getting bad colds so often. So I am stuck at home blowing my nose silly and cursing the minute I was born. My huge stash of aloe lotion Kleenex is about to expire and I missed God knows how many days at work. But as Morrissey says, there's a brighter side to life.

First off, I got word that Tzipi the world traveling Flutterbutt finally arrived to the UK. Her host will blog about her soon, as well as knit her a sweater (poor thing is reportedly freezing). On top of that news, a wonderful package of miniature shoes arrived from Hong Kong today, bearing among other things, a little surprise I got for Erez who is also sick as a bat these past few days. Low and behold his highness's new donkey slippers!

I better get back to coughing and twitting. It's good I can speak without opening my mouth and infecting innocent people. But before I do, one excellent new site for Etsy sellers. Cr8tivity is loaded with stats and useful tools which exceed Craftcult by far. Enter your Etsy username and see all it has to offer. I wonder how many people use it, and if it is a good idea to advertise on it. Enjoy!

Tzipi is ready to go!

There is great excitement among our house dwellers tonight, for tomorrow Tzipi the World Traveling Flutterbutt will embark on her trip around the world.

Tzipi, fresh out of the army and eager to see the world, will be traveling to meet, stay as a guest and have fun with 10 wonderful hosts in England, Scotland, France, New Zealand, Arizona, Washington, Virgina, Texas and Israel. All agreed to open their hearts and homes to the little Flutterbutt and show her a good time. Each of the hosts will take pictures of their mutual adventures and blog about the visit. I will update you guys as the project progresses, so you can follow Tzipi on her journey!

Tzipi with her recipients list, blankie, pillow, messenger bag and sleeping bag

First destination is Kent, Britain where Tzipi will meet Nifty and will get a new hand knitted cardi.

Good luck and Bon Voyage little one! Remember mommy and granny will be here waiting for you when you get back. Fly off and conquer the world!

If you are hosting Tzipi, or want to promote this project  - Please add this button to your blog and link it to http://raisinlike.blogspot.com/search/label/World%20Traveling%20Flutterbutt

Meet Tzipi, the world traveling Flutterbutt

A fundamental element of my World Traveling Flutterbutt Project is the world traveling Flutterbutt. That is why I thought it's time to introduce you to the lady herself, soon to embark on her world tour, Miss Tzipi Flutterbutt!

Tzipi is a 20 year old Flutterbutt, fresh out of the army. She spent the last few weeks of her service, like so many other Israelis, dreaming of a great tour of the world so she heard I am conducting auditions for Flutterbutts she immediately contacted me asking to be interviewed.

Tzipi strikes me as a strong willed, highly competent young Flutterbutt. She enjoys hiking, hiking, swimming, diving, and many other outdoor activities. She also loves the theater. As her appearance may reveal, she is attracted punk and rock music and colture. She has a slight discoloration in her eyes ("just like David Bowie" she says) and is fair skinned and freckled, so will need lots of sunscreen to avoid getting burnt in direct sun. She usually forgets to take care of this herself, so you will need to help her with that.

Tzipi is almost ready to embark on her great adventure. This is the list of hosts I compiled for her journey. Please confirm you are still in or update me otherwise. Note, the list is random, and does not reflect the order of her trip.

1. Craftiness (Austin, Texas, USA)
2. Snowbell (London, UK)
3. Fyrecreek (Virginia, USA)
4. Juniejo (Scotland, UK)
5. FigTree Boutique (SC, USA)
6. Niftyknits (UK)
7. The Lost Earring (Washington State coast, USA)
8. Jac-Ber Creations (New Zealand)
9. TheJoyofColor (Ramat Gan, Israel)
   

If you are in, please email me your shipping address and any comments or questions you might have to .

If you want to host her, there is still time to join the list. Comment here!

World Traveling Flutterbutt

I haven't blogged lately, due to my cold-flu thing now turned sinus infection, but I wanted to write a short update regarding my World Traveling Flutterbutt Project.

The little lady is almost ready to go. I will write an introductory post, of course, during the next few days. But in the meanwhile (aka - till the antibiotics kick in) I would like to ask anyone who wants to join and haven't done so yet to comment here!

The hosting guidelines will be, more or less, as follows:

1. Take good care of the Flutterbutt and make sure she is not eaten by stray dingos.
2. Ship the Flutterbutt to its next host by registered mail, so we have a tracking number to follow-up on.
3. Write about your mutual adventures on your blog and add photos.

I will be making a "I hosted a Flutterbutt" button for the participating blogs, so they can boast in their glory.

Okay, headache now. I am looking forward to your comments!

In the meanwhile, here is another world famous Flutterbutt traveler,
Pinky during our trip to London

Ye ole traveling Flutterbutt

While discussing this and that this afternoon, Nifty gave me an amazing idea

I am going to make a special world traveler Flutterbutt, and send him or her out to the world to have, log, and shoot wonderful Flutterbuttish adventures!

Problem is, I have no idea how to make this happen. What I need, I suppose, is a bunch of silly yet trust-worthy people who are interested in participating in this silly venture.

Would you be interested in hosting a Flutterbutt for a few days, taking it all sorts of places and documenting your adventures before shipping him/her to a new location?

Please let me know if you are.

Apart for that, Pinky is all ready for Halloween. How sweet is that?

Trick or treat!

Happy Halloween everybody!