Tickle Your Fancy Tuedays

Ok so I am actually posting this on Wednesday but I had something happen that sort of took over my time on Tuesday.

I am here to tell you all about it now though! heehee

FOLGERS GOURMET COFFEE BLEND~ VANILLA BISCOTTI

Oh my goodness this stuff is awesome to use for staining primitive dollies!!!!

I have been brewing two big pots of it and then pouring them both into my big dollie making plastic bowl. I don't have to add spices or vanilla to it. Everything is already in the ground coffee and it smells sooo heavenly!

I use a sponge brush and coat my primitive dollie parts in it and let her dry. Its leaving a wonderful rich color to her that I am just loving.

Oh and I'm thinking it probably tastes wonderful too...I just can't vouch for that aspect because I don't drink coffee! LOL

ENJOY! Place a bag in your grocery cart next time and....tickle your fancy!

Blessings!

Tracy(Cedara)Dunn of Thru the Attic Door

Interview with the Editors (Part One)

Thought this would be a good forum to ask the ladies some questions.
I sent them both an email and these are the answers I got back.
ENJOY!

1. What do you enjoy about being the editors of BTWT?

CINDY~ For me, I love seeing our collective ideas come to 'life' in this type of
format - I love to write and I love crafting so those two things together
are a perfect match for me. Since this newsletter is completely free,
getting feedback from our readers like an article helped them or they
enjoyed the patterns - makes me smile every time. We all put a lot of time
into it, so it's nice to hear!

2. What is frustrating about it?

CINDY~ For me - when I mess up HTML code! Some of
our pages have a lot of code and if you miss one little character well....
It's not fun when you are up late trying to make a deadline! I seem to get
a 'brain block' about certain codes!

3. How often do you two talk about upcoming issues?

CINDY~ It's an ongoing discussion - a lot of times we catch each other on IM or through emails to throw an idea or two out at each other. We try to keep a watch out for 'hot
topics' to see if we should write an article about it; like in May we did
How to Survive in Tough Economic Times since everyone was talking about it
being slow on their sites. We also like to get ideas from the staff and use
our private message board on PM to keep topics going and suggestions open.

4. How are articles picked for the writers? Do you tell each writer their
topic for the issue?

CINDY~ We have some writers who have a dedicated column - like Whispers and
Business Talk; it's up to the writer to connect to whatever 'theme' we may
have for that issue to their column and writing. We will always throw
suggestions out if someone is stuck; but the writers choose their topic from
one issue to the next.

5. How can someone become a writer for BTWT???

CINDY~ If you have an idea for us, please send us a writing sample. We have a full
regular staff now, but we are always looking for special feature type of
columns and articles to run occasionally. If we get an article that we
like, we may hold off and save it for a future newsletter where the topic
fits in with what we have planned.

BTWT Editors

heehee I bet they didn't know I had this photo of them. ;)

Megan Tucker of AmericanPrim and Cindy Markovcy of Homespun from the Heart are the editors of BTWT.

Now most writers don't usually get along with their editors, right? They are the ones cracking the whip. Shouting demands that can't be done in the time frame the editor is expecting. You aren't friends with them.

WRONG!

Oh my goodness....I think a huge part of my enjoyment of being a writer at BTWT is that I get to work WITH these two ladies. That's right....WITH THEM! They never come across that any of us work FOR them.

Many a night has been spent tossing emails back and forth between us. Long hours spent chatting in IM chats discussing topics for future issues of the newsletter.Even longer hours spent talking about all the fun things that form our friendship and bonds us. heehee

I met Megan first. She and I were roommates at the Primmart Convention during the first year that it was held. We bonded and became vast friends on so many levels. During the next year, BTWT had some changes happen behind the scenes. When it all finished, Megan and Cindy were the editors.

I made the trip to Primmart Convention again and got to finally meet Cindy this time. Oh she can make me giggle! We all could sense that this partership was going to be fantastic!

I am so very proud to be able to say that I have never loved writing so much for something as I do for BTWT and it is greatly in part to the two of these incredible ladies.

Tracy(Cedara)Dunn of Thru the Attic Door

Putting Words to Paper

So I know that when you type to a blog its not really putting pen to paper but the concept is still very much the same. I have written in journals for as long as I can recall. Finding it very relaxing while at the same time somehow bringing out a new side to my creativity.

Words seem to float around in the back of my mind all day. Usually I hear something and its like a section gets filed away in my thoughts. I love the feeling of sitting down at my desk and writing those words out. Feelings and emotions flood forth. Sometimes it flows out like liquid from a pitcher to a tall glass. Other times I fight with them and they seems to drop like large chunks of ice. There are some nights that I just end up staring at a white screen and playing a dozen games of solitare!LOL

A few years ago I was in the Primmart chatroom and talking with some of the other gals that had gathered for the evening. So many different topics were brought up that evening. Everything from what had been cooked for supper that night to what some of us were going to be creating next for our websites. Lots of laughter and sheer fun as we all took turns getting to know each other just a little better. As the evening progressed, a few gals signed off and it slowly dwindled down to just a couple of us left.

The topic of writing came up in the conversation and I mentioned how I loved it so. That I had stacks of journals that on my death bed would have to be burnt before all my secrets got out!LOL It was that night in the chatroom that my life altered in such a wonderful way for me.

I was asked to write articles for Beneath the Willow Tree.

Really? But.......well you don't even know what I write. How is this going to work? I've never done anything "online" before. I'd only written things down that my own eyes would read again.
They giggled and said that I was going to be just fine.

Then a moment of sheer panic overtook me..... what would I write about?? Could I really create something from the words floating in my head that others would want to read? Oh I was starting to panic! LOL

She had given me full control of what I would write about and the style to which I would do so.
I must have sat up that first week just scratching ideas down onto my own paper filled journal. Some would work out. Others were ripped out and tossed away. I slowly began to find myself feeling calmer about the whole idea. I wasn't hitting a brick wall. The words were flowing.
The tales were coming to me in flashes and I was smiling.

I have now been a writer for Beneath the Willow Tree for almost 4 years. I have been blessed with a wonderful following of readers who enjoy my articles "Whispers from the Past". The feedback from each issue is what acts as the muse for the next whisper to start forming.

I thank my readers!
I thank the wonderful ladies at BTWT for letting me express my soul to others thru words.

Tracy(Cedara)Dunn of http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com

BTWT's Brand New Adventure

Hello faithful Beneath the Willow Tree readers!!!!

YUP.... we have decided that Beneath the Willow Tree needed to spread its "branches" out in a slightly different direction. We,of course, will continue to bring you the BTWT newsletter that you already enjoy reading so much.

This blog will be used to give you a glimpse "behind the scenes" to our regular ezine issues. Little sneak peeks of articles that are being written. We hope to run polls and use the feedback and comments from you all reading the blog to further make BTWT the best online newsletter!

We are going to offer freebies here on the blog as well!
So make sure to bookmark this wonderful new blog and check back often.
You never know when something will have been added to make you smile!

Thank you!
Tracy(Cedara)Dunn of http://www.thrutheatticdoor.com