Embracing my inner Cameljocky

When we first came to America, millions of years ago, otherwise known as the 1970s, my English wasn't very good. Although while I was living in Libya I did go to a British private school, I was still forced to do the 2nd grade again when we arrived. So it was lost on me when someone in Oklahoma called me a cameljocky, the racist insult for a person of Arabian origin. The reasoning being that when we lived in Libya, we actually lived in downtown Benghazi, in a big city apartment building. I had never seen a camel!

It wasn't until years later when I saw a camel (in a zoo of all places) that I realized how amazingly beautiful these animals actually were. First of all, it was huge! But what I loved most was the skin. I loved the colour of their skin because it sort of looked like my skin colour. It was olive and very different then the white skin of my American friends. I decided to collect these beautiful beings and didn't really care that their name was in half a word that is commonly utilized in a derogatory fashion to describe anyone from the Middle East. I decided to embrace my inner cameljocky.

I found these beauties last week at World Market’s ornament section

Today I found this cutie at Value Village and I put one of the ornaments next to him to get an idea of his size

I'm going to try to take more photos of my collection and post it up here over the next few months.

Mirror Mirror...part ithnan

A few days ago, I started listing my 'Six 1 inch Button Pins' I made for each of the countries that are in the Arab League. I’ve been adding more countries as I’ve been able to list them in my Zibbet shop, and am in the process of adding more. But I did want to share the numbers with you for the new countries:
*Proud Iraqi* 97 views
*Proud Algerian* 68 views
*Proud Amreekan* 39 views
*Proud Moroccan* 37 views
*Proud Dijboutian* 32 views

As with the past listings, I have been advertising them on my Twitter and Facebook pages, but have stopped advertising the previous list to give the new ones a chance to catch up. Here is how the ones listed last week have been doing thus far:

*Proud Palestinian* 150 views (up 32 views)
*Proud Somalian* 106 views (up 7 views)
*Proud Syrian* 85 views (up 2 views)
*Proud Libyan* 55 views (up 8 views)
*Proud Lebanese* 49 views (up 2 views)

Except for the Palestinian set that sold within one minute of being listed, I still haven’t sold any other ones, but it’s nice to see so many people are at least looking at them.

I’ll keep adding more pins and updating this blog until all 24 sets are listed (all 22 Arab League countries and my American and Muslim sets too).

Mirror, mirror...what country is the fairest of them all?

My new exciting products lately are 'Six 1 inch Button Pins' made for each of the countries that are in the Arab League. I've been listing them in my Zibbet shop and advertising them on my Twitter and Facebook pages. What is very fascinating is the numbers that show up on my Zibbet shop to let me know how many views each item is receiving. Here are the numbers as of this morning:

*Proud Palestinian* 118 views
*Proud Somalian* 99 views
*Proud Syrian* 83 views
*Proud Libyan* 47 views
*Proud Lebanese* 47 views

So it looks like the Palestinians are in the lead, followed closely by the Somalians and the Syrians. The Libyans and Lebanese are neck and neck in a tie. I find it most interesting that the Palestinians pins were only listed yesterday! And the first set sold within 60 seconds.

I'm going to be making some more Arab League countries today so it’ll be exciting to see how the new countries do in comparison.

Internet wordage abbreviations

Found this funny list on an Etsy forum of all the abbreviations of letters you find on the internet.

• ACEO - Artist Cards Editions and Originals.
• AFAIK - as far as I know
• ATC - artist trading cards --
• AOP - artist's own pattern
• alphabet people - folks who are 'buyers only' and do not have their own avatar
B
•
• beta - a public test version of software or a website.
• BF - boyfriend
• BFSC - built from scratch clothing : http://www.etsy.com/forums_topic.php?thread_id=16029
• bling - rhinestones and other shiny stuff, big jewelry. (not specific to Etsy)
• B&M (or BM) - "Brick and Mortar" shop with a physical location. (not specific to Etsy)
• BNA - "Be nice, assholes". refers to threads lecturing or advising on what not to say or do in Etsy fora. (attributed to goat).
• BNR - buy and replace. Buy an item and replace it with one of your own in a treasury or forum thread.
• BOGO - buy one, get one (second item free, usually; sometimes half-off)
• bookmarking - term used when a user wants to track a thread without posting a comment. Note: the word "bookmark" is no longer in use, it's a banned word in the forums.
• brb - be right back; used in chat rooms and instant messengers (not specific to Etsy)
• btw - by the way (not specific to Etsy)
• bump - what someone does when she wants to get a particular thread back to the top of the forum (not specific to Etsy)
• Blue Room - chatroom (see also Green Room, Red Room, R)
C
• calling out - discussing specific transactions and feedback on the public forums, i.e. "Please do not discuss specific transactions and feedback on the public forums. This is calling out another user and is against our rules. Please email support [!at] etsy.com privately for assistance." (from stellaloella.etsy.com)
• carp - stuff you make; from a typo in the olden days about all the "crap" that was being sold.
• c.lit - not the obvious (cubistliterature.etsy.com)
• convo - Etsy's private messaging system, conversation between Etsy members, initiated by clicking on "contact this seller" on seller's shop site
D
• D&D - see Do's and Don'ts below
• DBCB - Designers & Buyers of Children's Boutique
• destash - term used when one is selling (getting rid of) a stockpile of supplies
• DIY - design it yourself, do it yourself (not specific to Etsy)
• DH - dear husband (not specific to Etsy)
• DNBF - Do Not Buy From -- a list some sellers have because they don't like the postings, manners, politics or other personal aspect of a particular Etsy seller, usually based on postings from the fora.
• Do's and Dont's - Etsy rules http://www.etsy.com/dosdonts.php
• Dork - Automatically replaces "dick" in forum titles, even for proper names. Is not RevolvingDork, one of the Etsy four founders & early forum mod.
• Dyno - Etsy seller who provided incredible guides to using Etsy in the Beta days

E
• E - Etsy
• EDM - Electronic Dance Music, as in raves or desert parties
• Esty - common typo for Etsy. Appeared in the orange box website header on April 1, 2010.
• ETSIANS - everyone in the great Etsy community
F
• fantastic - a word which automatically replaces the word "ass" when typed in the chatrooms
• flag, flagged - to report an item or shop to Etsy for violating an Etsy rule.
• FP - acronym for the Etsy Front Page.
• frell - a word which automatically replaces the word "fuck" when typed in the chatrooms (originally from Farscape, not purely specific to Etsy)
• FWIW - for what it's worth (not specific to Etsy)
G
• Green Room - chatroom (see also Blue Room, Red Room)
• GA - Google Analytics
H
• heart - to put a shop or item into one's favorites. This can be a verb or noun: "I hearted your earrings", "I have 100 hearts".
• HTF - hard to find
• "headdesk" - forum eye rolling on Etsy
I
• IBTL - in before the lock (specific to Etsy for marking threads destined for closure)
• ILLTWITTERATE - Not understanding social networking
• IMO - in my opinion (not specific to Etsy)
• IMHO - in my humble opinion (not specific to Etsy)
• ITA - I totally agree
J
• JK - just kidding, joking (not specific to Etsy)
• JFGI - Just Friggin'/Frelling Google It

K
• KWIM - know what I mean? (not specific to Etsy)
L
• LMAO - laughing my ass off (not specific to Etsy)
• LOL - laugh out loud (not specific to Etsy)
M
• Man Knitter - A man that knits (ex. Cubist Literature)
• marking - making a mark to find or follow a thread later
N
• newbie - new Etsy member, new poster in forums, new member of any online group (not specific to Etsy)
• NPB - non-paying buyer
• NSFW - not safe for work, usually a warning of adult content. When posting a link to a website with nudity or adult content, it's good netiquette to label it "NSFW".
O
• OMG - oh my god/gosh (not specific to Etsy)
• OOAK - one of a kind (not specific to Etsy)
• OP - original poster; the person who starts a forum thread (not specific to Etsy)
• OSWOA - original small work of art (not specific to Etsy)
P
• PIF - pay it forward -- http://www.etsy.com/forums_topic.php?thread_id=3691
• PITA - pain in the ass (not specific to Etsy)
• PLUR - Peace Love Unity Respect, mantra of the rave culture.
Q
• QA - quirky alone, unmarried childfree individual (as opposed to SAHM, for example -- http://www.quirkyalone.org)
• qnb - quirkynberkeley
R
• R - Red Room chat room (vote's still out on this one); notorious in Etsy lore for reasons deserved or not (vote's still out on this; join the debate); also site of the first Etsy town hall meeting on (what was the date?)
• RevolvingDork - One of the Etsy 4 founders, made famous by pithy, witty forum posts & closures
• RAOK - random act of kindness (not specific to Etsy)
• RAOGK - random act of glassy kindness (not specific to Etsy)
• ROFL - rolling on floor laughing (not specific to Etsy)
• ROFLMAO - Rolling On Floor Laughing My Ass Off (not specific to Etsy)
S
• SAHM - stay at home mom (not specific to Etsy)
•
• SEO - Search Engine Optimization - methodology to getting websites or specific URL's to the top of searches
• sleavy - alternate spelling of sleazy. Born in Etc on 2-11-09, followed by a week of non-stop threads.
• snark - sarcasm, sarcastic remark. Can be either humorous or mean, depending on context and perception.
• SNS - Saturday Night Special, weekly sale promotion (http://www.etsy.com/forums_topic.php?thread_id=25677)
• sock puppet -- username/account created for the sole purpose of posting, shilling, harassing, promoting in fora without being identified.
• spam - posting too many promotional threads in the forums, posting promos outside the promo section of the forums, posting promotional replies to unrelated topics, sending unsolicited convos or emails promoting one's shop, thanking people for hearting.
• spambot - Etsy's automated program to stop convo spam. If a user sends too many convos in a short period of time, the spambot will mute her convos.
• SRA - self-representing artist
• SRAJD - self-representing artist jewelry designer
• stash - a lot of craft supplies waiting to be used (not specific to Etsy)
• stash-busting - cleaning out, giving away, selling or using up the stash (not specific to Etsy)
• stellaloella - one of the 42 Etsy employees
• STFU - shut the fuck up (not specific to Etsy)
• stoked - (as in stoking a fire) excited or happy. Origin: surfer slang (not specific to Etsy)
T
• thread - an ongoing conversation in the forums, aka "topic." (not specific to Etsy)
•
• Thread with a capital T, aka "The Thread" - a series of long ongoing chats in the E



• tc. section of the forums. Participants are called "threaders."
• TMI - too much information, over-sharing (not specific to Etsy)
• TOS - terms of service, often used interchangebly with TOU
• TOU - terms of use -- http://www.etsy.com/terms_of_use.php
• treasury - a list of favorites, created by one person, and lasting up to 3 days before it expires. The treasury "limit" is currently 333, but this does not mean there can't be more than that. It means that when the number dips to 332, anyone who is in the treasury has the opportunity to create one. Depending how many people do create one, the number can go as high as 375 or more. Retired Fall '09.
• Treasury East - current unlimited treasury free-for-all of immortal treasuries
• TRIF - trade it forward -- http://www.etsy.com/forums_topic.php?thread_id=16914
• TTFN - ta ta for now (not specific to Etsy)
• TVP - thinly veiled promotion. thread or post for the sole purpose of calling attention to the poster's items or shop
U
V
• V2 - version 2 of Etsy, which was released in November 2006
W

Zibbet listing goal

I have a listing goal to get 200 items into my Zibbbet.com shop. Well, I'm halfway there. In order to celebrate the halfway mark, I'm giving all my Facebook fans a 25% off discount in my store. Just 'like' www.facebook.com/acraftyarab and get the code to shop!

And check out these beautiful Afghanistan coin pendents I just got in my shop: