New Items at The Mug Boutique

 The Mug Boutique now sells....(drum roll)...insulated tumblers!  We have stemless wine tumblers with designs engraved through the powder coat!  And we are getting some larger 20 ounce tumblers, also with designs engraved through the powder coat.  These insulated wine tumblers and drink tumblers are available in several different colors, giving you a lot of choices.  These vacuum sealed tumblers also feature removable clear plastic lids.  

For those of you who prefer to buy on Etsy, my mugs and tumblers are available at Turtle Treasures on Etsy.  So if buying on Etsy seems safer than buying from an independent website, you are now taken care of.  

The 20 ounce Tumbler is available from Turtle Treasures Or The Mug Boutique!  You get to choose!

I hope to see you soon at The Mug Boutique or Turtle Treasures!

Blessings And Peace.

Jill

The Mug Boutique

Jill's Treasure Chest on Etsy has a sister shop!  It's The Mug Boutique.  The Mug Boutique specializes in, well, Mugs!  Some of these are handmade mugs from Jill's Treasure Chest, but most of them are ceramic mugs personally designed by me and printed by a special printing company.

The fun thing with these new coffee mugs, is I can design them quickly and for what my customers desire.  These ceramic mugs come in 2 sizes, 11 oz and 15 oz and are available in white or black.  They can also be made on a mug with a color trim on the handle.

Eventually I plan on expanding The Mug Boutique to include insulated  metal containers, and possibly shot glasses.  But time will tell.

These coffee cups are just 2 that are available now.  I have tea mugs that have dogs, animals, motivational sayings.  

Visit The Mug Boutique for your choice of great mugs.    

Blessings and Peace,

Jill

Unpainted Ceramic Figurines

Several months ago I started selling some of my ceramic figurines unpainted on my Etsy shop.  They've been doing remarkably well.  I had no idea that so many people would be interested in purchasing unpainted ceramic bisque for their personal use, gifts, or for their children.  But it makes sense that since I like doing it, other people would also.

I have been expanding my line of bisque ware and it's been selling, especially with the quarantine going on.

Unpainted Owl Figurines

Unpainted Rooster and Chicken Figurines











I have a lot more pieces, and I'll be adding more frequently, so please visit my Etsy shop!  https://www.etsy.com/shop/JillsTreasureChest

Retirement

It's been a while since I've posted.  A lot has happened since then. The most important thing is that I retired from full time employment.  This has been really wonderful.  And it's given me time to work on my Etsy shop and I have a new website.

Being partially retired (I still work prn at the nursing home) has been so great.  It's amazing not to have to rush off to work and to relax with a cup of coffee more often than just on weekends.  I stay busy during the day working on ceramics or with my new website.  (More about that later)  But I can do that at my pace, and in whatever order I choose.

My husband is retired, and he works occasionally as a carpenter doing private jobs on his own or with his brother.  This schedule works out well.  We have extra time to spend together as well as time alone if the other is working that day.

I have noticed how my stress level is down, and how much better I feel.  Who knew that work was stressing me out so much.  Of course,  work has been more stressful with Covid 19 and all the rules and precautions, which are totally necessary, but not easy to deal with.  Going to work once or twice a week means that it's nice to see everyone when I do go.  And knowing I won't be there all day every day means my stress level is lower.

My hopes are that my website and my Etsy shop will increase enough to give us a nice income without going to work at the nursing home, and without my husband having to work unless he wants to .

I'll be writing more about  my Etsy shop and my new website in the next few days.

Blessings and Peace,
Jill

#retirement #selfemployment #freetime

Turtles on Etsy!

This week I have posted 2 new turtle figurines to my Etsy shop, JillsTreasureChest.  I've always liked turtles and frogs, and have been working with some new molds.  Hopefully there will be a big variety of them soon.

The first one is a smaller turtle, a shelf sitter.  This shelf turtle statue is painted a light green and has a pearl finished shell.

The second turtle is a bit larger and painted a darker green.  This turtle figurine also has a pearl finish.

Turtles represent the ability to be at home anywhere and the importance of persevering.  Turtle symbolism has been important in my life and I am happy to have them here.

Blessings and Peace,

Jill

My Trip to Oz

My daughter had a baby boy this summer.  She and her family were living in Kansas, where her husband was stationed at an Army post.  I made the twelve hour drive to Fort Riley from Texas believing that Kansas was going to be a totally boring place to visit, with nothing special to see except my family.  And while much of the scenery was quite repetitive, I was surprised by the little hills and trees in north central Kansas.

As an aside, Kudos to Fort Riley for setting up a very nice residential section on post with hike and bike trails and parks.  The weather was good and I made use of those trails.

While most of the trip was spent at my daughter's house, we did go out to Wamego, Kansas to see  the Wizard.  Well, actually the Wizard of Oz Museum.  Turns out that Kansas is very proud of its Wizard of Oz history, and they are making the most of tourism with  Dorothy's House and a museum in Liberal, Kansas, to this wonderful Wizard of Oz Museum in Wamego, Kansas.

First built in 2003, this museum was built with a grant from the state of Kansas and contributions from the citizens of the Wamego area, the museum answers the question given many Kansas natives, "How are Dorothy and Toto?"  The museum relies on volunteers and donations to keep the it going.

Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz

Starting as a book for children, written by L. Frank Baum in 1900, the Wizard of Oz has been made into several movies, including the 1939 version starring Judy Garland, and a board game by Parker Brothers.  This museum features over 2000 artifacts and articles from these movies and the game.

The Wizard of Oz Museum has several articles about the making of the original movie.  I learned that  Shirley Temple was considered for the role of Dorothy, and some information about the Munchkins.

It's hard to see in this photo, but one of the midgets who played a Munchkin, later filled in as a stand in for Dennis the Menace in the TV show.  I also found out today that one of the men who played a Munchkin is from Pflugerville, Texas, a town near my home.

The first room in the museum is a gift shop with coffee mugs and travel cups, shot glasses, jewelry, t-shirts, figurines, and more.  My grandson had to try out the tornado machine, and he came out unscathed.  

In October, the town is home to Oztoberfest, bringing together Wizard of Oz fans from around the country.  Visitors can also go to the Oz Winery and Toto's Tacos.

Be sure to visit Wamego if you're in north central Kansas.  I'm sure you'll find it worth your while!

The Girl in The Moss

The Girl in the Moss is the third book in the Angie Pallorino series.  Written by Loreth Anne White, this series tells the story of Angie Pallorino, a former police investigator, now upcoming private investigator.  Angie and her lover , homicide detective James Maddocks are attempting some romantic time off, when they become they are led to skeletal remains in a shallow, mossy grave.  Angie becomes involved in solving this cold case, putting herself in danger and finding that this case goes much further than anyone guessed!

I listened to the audiobook version of this while commuting to work down long country roads.  I love the way the reader is able to portray the character's voices and the expression she puts into the dialogue.  This book is, of course, available in paperback or as an MP3 CD.

Ms. White is excellent at character development and I have seen the changes in Angie over the past books.  I will be waiting for book 4!