Chrissy Marie has a brand new Artfire Studio!



Hammered Copper and Sterling Silver Circle Earrings

 Well, I finally did it! I started a separate new Studio for my Chrissy Marie line of jewelry and accessories.  I started off on ArtFire combining both lines of jewelry but I think it was a bit confusing. Chrissy Marie is my daughter and this line is dedicated to her.  It's all about being young at heart, trendy, spirited, and super affordable.

If you keep up with this blog at all you know that we, as a family, truly believe in Equine Assisted Therapy (Also called Hippo therapy or Therapeutic Riding).  Chrissy started riding with a local group several years ago and could hardly function socially and mentally.  Soon after she began riding we saw amazing progress! Over the years we have been astounded at the progress she made and the young woman she has become.  Unfortunately the group she rode with moved outside of our area but a new program was born to replace it.  Chrissy will now be riding as an advanced rider in special shows and rodeos as well a volunteering in the program as a trained Horse Handler and Side Walker.

Back in May I began riding in an experimental Equine Assisted Therapy program to see if riding more often would have a bigger or more long lasting effect on disabled riders.  It was an amazing experience and even  more amazing....Chrissy assisted as my Horse Handler and Side Walker! We've switched roles :)

Unfortunately, due to an extremely wet, hot summer I had to give up riding for a few months.  I have a "broken" internal thermostat and take medication that does not allow me to tolerate extreme heat.  However I'm looking forward to getting back in the saddle again soon.



Run For the Roses Arabian Horse Magnet

 Twenty-five percent of all sales from the Chrissy Marie shop will go to the new local Equine Assisted Therapy Program - "Better in the Saddle" aka "B.I.T.S." They are struggling a bit (no pun intended) to get up and running so I'm trying to help as much as I can.  While some items are equine or horse related, most are not. Come see what I have in the Studio and check back often as I'll be adding new goodies as often as possible!

Hope to see you soon :)

Changes....good, better, and best!

Wow, it's amazing what can happen to a person in a few weeks time!

I'll start with the worst of the changes - which as it turns out, is a really good thing....

Several weeks ago I posted here that I don't do well with groups. I admit it! I don't do well in groups because I'm not the kind of girl who likes cliques. It's just so "junior high school". I like so many people and I enjoy meeting new people so boxing myself in to a group just goes against my personality type. Now, having said that, I also love being a part of something really special!

For instance, I love my church! TVBC is such a special place and filled with such a wonderful array of people....well let's just say I love them all.

Dream Catcher's Equine Assisted Therapy Group is an AWESOME group of people who serve a very special group of children and adults with disabilities through hippo therapy - therapy on horseback. My daughter has participated in this group for several years now as a client. The result has been amazing! She has grown and developed so because of the horses and people in this group. Not only has she benefited from this group but my husband and I have benefited from being a part of the volunteer group who make up the Dream Catchers. (I'll blog more about this subject later and in the meantime be sure to check my Favorite Link List for a web link to this group's site.)

However, there are groups we get involved with that do more damage than good. When the leadership doesn't know how to lead, develop fair and balanced rules and guidelines, or how to avoid conflict of interest issues then it's time to ask questions. Unfortunately I asked questions and chose to do so in a private manner. I was not willing to embarrass the self-appointed leaders of the KC Etsy Street Team or cause a huge upset by posting my questions in the public forums so I emailed them privately and in the process learned a very hard lesson. Privacy not only protects but it also allows for an atmosphere of secrecy. Bullies lurk in the most unexpected places and never having been a victim of bullying, I didn't see the attack coming. In short I am no longer a part of the KC Etsy Street Team - this is my choice. I have been banned from the KC Etsy Flickr group because they are terrified I will post the truth of what took place. I opted not to do that before the ban was ever placed. It was a moot point.

I'm choosing the "high road". I have been threatened, lied to, bullied, and banned. Pretty vicious stuff for a small time group or "team" as they like to call themselves. What the leaders of that group didn't realize was that I had archived all of the emails shared between us and I am perfectly willing to share those records with any member of the KC Etsy Street Team who would like to know why I've been banned. I will not waste more of my time on this subject.

The bright spot in all of this was meeting the rest of the membership on the KC Etsy Street Team. There are wonderful and talented artists in Kansas City and many of them are a part of this group. Please check them out and by all means....BUY!

I'll be covering the "Better" part of this post in Changes...good, better and best! Part II.