Etsy shop review - Tatiana Mozerova of Tatiana's Tienda

Today's Etsy shop review features Tatiana Mozerova of Tatiana'sTienda. Please take some time to learn more about her and her craft!

My name is Tatiana. I was born in a small Siberian city called Irkutsk. I graduated from university with a degree in civil engineering and management in economics. If you'd have told me nearly two years ago that I would open craft store in the US and that I'd be crocheting and creating crafts, I would have though that you were insane! It just wasn't a future that I had in mind.

Baby Boy Booties

At the time, I was working with a construction company and dealing with projects and numbers, while at the same time I was studying for my second degree and teaching fitness in the evening. Everything was so overwhelming, I didn’t enjoy my life and one day I was fed up with it. I can remember this day… I was sitting in a lonely office, working on a boring drawing of a building riddled with numbers. I opened up a web page and started searching for flights. At the time, it didn't matter where I'd go…The most important part was getting FAR AWAY from the craziness that was my life! That same day I bought a one way ticket to Bangkok and I was infinitely happy with the decision that I made. I didn’t know what to expect or where I'd go afterwards, but I definitely decided that I didn't want to live that crazy life anymore.

I passed my final exam in January, got a diploma in civil engineering, quit my job, and moved all my stuff into a garage as I was off to Thailand. I remember saying to my family and friends, “I’m starting a journey towards a 'real' life, a life that I deserve and want to live, and a life that society doesn't dictate for you…A life that you want to live and share with others!” From there I traveled for about 10 months and it was the most amazing months of my life! I went to meditation courses, volunteered in Laos, worked in China with kids… But the most important thing – I’ve met an amazing person, my soul mate, a person who understands me without words on the way to “my new life”.

Newspaper Vase 

We traveled in South East Asia together, lived through the craziness of China… And then one day he asked me, "Do you want to visit the US?" Well, I had never been a big fan of this country but I realize now it was all due to the media. Russia and USA had never been big friends and I also had such restricted visions about the country before… But after traveling in so many countries,  I realized that political views of a government don’t always have anything common with the people who live there. So I agreed to come with him. Right now I amazed with this country and really enjoy living here.

When I flew to the US I didn’t know what I was going to do or where I'd look for work. One day my boyfriend’s sister was knitting a scarf. And I remembered how I love doing this in childhood, but when I grow up I totally forgot about it because didn’t have time for it. The very next day I made a hat for my boyfriend. Afterwards, we came up with the idea to sell items such as this on Etsy. I made different goods for special holidays like Christmas and Valentine’s Day. I later created candy bouquets and wicker baskets made from newspaper. I really enjoy the things that I create, because I know that it will make my buyers happier and richer inside, will put a smile on their face and maybe even change the world for the better!

Easter Candy Edibles

And as you can see in both 'my story' and the level of detail and pride I take in all the goods I make, I put my heart and soul into this little boutique shop. This is how I support myself! I appreciate all my customers for all sales I receive and will go out of my way to make you happy with your order!!

Blue Rose with Ferrero Rocher candy

I realize 'my story' is much more detailed than most you'll come across, but just wanted show how one day can change your entire life! Your life is in your hands and you are the creator of your destiny. Don’t be afraid of changes. It may seem too scary to make changes right now… but feel it in your heart that changes are for the good – so never hesitate to take the first steps!

Tatiana can be found:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/TatianasTienda?ref=seller_info

http://www.facebook.com/tatianastienda

http://pinterest.com/tatianastienda/

https://twitter.com/TatianasTienda

http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=97911029&trk=hb_tab_pro_top

Candle trivia

Many who know me are aware of my love for trivia, little known facts that are relevant a small amount of time.  For example, did you know.....

1.) The man in the original Superglue commercial who was holding his hat affixed to a steel beam was John Goodman?

2.) The only union leader to be elected president was Ronald Reagan?

3.) The only reason Clark Gable accepted the role of Rhett Butler was to earn enough money to get a divorce and to marry Carole Lombard?

Maybe you knew the trivial pieces of information, maybe not, but hopefully I can "illuminate" you on some interesting facts on candles:

• Historically, the most common use of candle burning was to tell time.  Because the burning of a candle is fairly consistent and predictable, candles in the Middle Ages were marked with time measurements.
• There is no such thing as a soot free wax.  All candles product soot. Soy and beeswax candles produce as much soot as paraffin candles; however, their soot is white compared to the grey soot of paraffin candles. 
• No wax is considered "best" for candle making.  Paraffin wax holds color and fragrance better than any wax on the market, and soy and beeswax are renewable products.
• Paraffin was first distilled in 1830, and revolutionized candle-making, as it was an inexpensive material which produced high-quality, odorless candles that burned reasonably cleanly and were used during the colonial days.
• A candle typically produces about 13 lumens of visible light and 40 watts of heat, although this can vary depending primarily on the characteristics of the candle wick.
• In the seventeenth century arsenic was added to tallow resulting positive aesthetic effects, although some unknown health risks.
• The candle industry is currently growing faster than the national economy.
• More than 1 billion pounds of wax are used in producing the candles sold each year in the U.S.

Have a fun and illuminating week!

Surprise, surprise!

This past weekend was the first I made it outdoors to work on my gardens. I'll give you a moment to be awestruck by use of the plurality of the word, but you should know, I have a postage-stamp sized yard, and "gardens" means the front bed, the side bed, the back rose garden, and a few other spaces. We're not talking Central Park here.

Anyway. I've lived in this house for fifteen years. My gardens, such as they are, are known to me by square inch and the weeds they attract. I'm seldom surprised at what my yard can produce at this point.

Until this past weekend.

I was walking between the back and the "really" back yard on my way to the compost pile. (I love my compost pile, but am saving that introduction for a later date.) When, what to my wandering eyes should appear, but....no, it's not the season for a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer....a little furry bud.
I looked. I stared in disbelief.  Then I started jumping.

Jumping not for joy. Jumping not to catch a squirrel, as my neighbor thought (embarrassment!). But jumping to catch a branch just a bit higher to see if my hypothesis was true.


It was. The tree I had known to love (not) and to appreciate (not) as part of a "border" was a pussy willow! A thirty plus foot pussy willow! In fifteen years, I've not seen this tree produce anything similar to a bud, let alone the architectural branches we proudly display in our homes. Looking up over the top of my garage, I saw a fuzzy treeline of what must be the buds of these pretty spring displays!

So I brought out my clippers and snipped what I could. Then I brought out my ladder and cut as many branches as I could reach. Of course, the good stuff was only attainable by climbing on top of my garage (not!), and my boys weren't with me, but I was able to gather enough branches to make a modest display for my foyer.

About a month ago, I had a conversation with my father about our yards. The pussy willow he had given up on last fall and had been felled to the ground had suddenly begun producing flowers not seen in years. Maybe the shrub I inherited so many years ago was just severely neglected, yet somehow in the right place to produce this year. I think the lesson here is that nature is a unpredictable. I'm not trying to analyze the jet steam, greenhouse gasses, or even compost pile versus Miracle Grow, but there is still a lot in our own hands, in or on our own footprint, that we have yet to learn from.

Go get your hands dirty!