A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That

My "real" job - I'm a homeopath in private practice. I started making lenses originally to increase traffic to my web site as I also take online clients. Then, it just snowballed.

I first discovered Squidoo when I was reading some different blogs about guerilla marketing to boost hits on my professional site. It's just ballooned from there. I love being able to gab on endlessly about things that I am passionate about and I really like the commaradarie of the Squidoo community.

I first discovered Etsy on the Lush forums with a thread praising Stiletto Heights and exploring Etsy was like Nirvana to me! I enjoy interacting on the forums, and when I have a little bit of mad money, I am an SNS fanatic! Not just looking for deals, but hanging out on the chat thread, looking for secrets, just being social.

I've been taking funny pix of toads for a couple of years now with my kids. I've posted a lot of them on the Lush forum and have had a lot of people request to buy cards and prints. So, I've opened a Cafe Press Store and KittyCrossBones is helping me get some merchandise for my Etsy store. I also have a huge amount of antique ephemera and photos to eventually sell as well.

I collect Stiletto Heights prints, Moonbeamarts cards, Gothicrow photography, textiles from India, Pre-Raphaelite reproductions, Wyrding Studios jewelry, anything with a Raven motiff, Buddhist statues and prayer amulets, and 1/12 scale Miniatures.

If you're in search of a good read, check out the right hand side of this page under "The_Homeopath Recommends" - these are my favorite lenses that I keep adding to as I come across them. Fun Stuff. Interesting Stuff. Entertaining Stuff. Thought-provoking Stuff. Inspiring Stuff. Weird Stuff. I love it all!

But, if that is just too much work for you, just click on the lens below to see them all plus a few more!

The sactuary is only a few very short miles from my home. It's a favorite destination here, and almost every time that you read about a weird person keeping a wild animal as a pet and the authorities taking it away, chances are it will be taken here. Lucky. Well, not a lucky as being free in the wild, but this is definately the next best thing!

The Sanctuary

I'm not entirely sure where my interest in certain macabre topics originated. I do remember being in Jr. High and "having" to study Poe. Telling my mom about it I was STUNNED to learn that she could recite the entire text of The Raven from memory!!!

Plus, I grew up with a pretty cool Mom anyway. She exposed me to SO much more than most parents of her day. I remember singing along to "Only Women Bleed" by Alice Cooper when I was 5.

I've also always had a strong affinity for the Victorian era. My Grandmother was from Scotland, so she made sure we knew our British history! Obviously, the Neo-Victorian and Steampunk movements hold a special fascination for me as well. I just can't pull off the wardrobe and makeup while living in the country raising 4 kids. I think it would be kind of difficult to feed the horses in a black leather bustier.

Two things I love in life are playing with my collection of miniatures and playing with the little toads which take over my garden every summer. Last year I realized that the toadies were just about the right size to enjoy playing in my dollhouse. So, put 2 and 2 together, and you can come up with some really wild and wonderful photo ops.

I've started a CafePress store and will soon have some wonderful things for an Etsy one as well. My wonderful father-in-law just bought me a really nice camera for my birthday, so I'll be bugging the poor toadies soon.

Bathing is one of my true indulgences in life. I adore really nice bath products, I'm addicted to Lush Cosmetics. I don't usually wear makeup - but I do try to take care of my skin (I am 38 and vain after all)! I'm not much for pink candy/frilly/floral things, but I do like finding wonderful, earthy, green, and mossy bath and body products and perfumes.

I've been a helpless Etsy addict for over a year now. So many amazing artists and artisans are represented there, it's just amazing. I first discovered Etsy via a fan thread on the Lush forums about Stiletto Heights and it seems like everyday now I find some new gem.

I collect Stiletto Heights art now as well as Gothicrow prints, Moonbeamarts cards, and a few dozen other amazing artists as well.

Like moths to the flame, Etsians have been drawn to the Squid side. A few of us crossed paths again and again on the Etsy forums and took that as a sign that we should really start a Street Team over there and a Group over here that combined our passions.