Moving Along

In the coming weeks this and my Scent You Say? blogs will be moving. I'm very irritated by the fact that Google links your email account to other Google owned features. Lately I have been getting emails saying that someone replied to my comments on You Tube. The problem is I never commented on any You Tube video. I closed my old You Tube account and registered another thinking that would solve the problem but it happened again. I also have a second Gmail account that I don't use very often. I logged in today to find that I received a reply to a comment on a video. I looked to find my username next to a comment that I never made. And what really bothers me is that there is no way to unlink my Gmail accounts from You Tube. So thanks for nothing Google. There are some features I really like but without being able to separate them I'll be forced to close my Google accounts, including Blogger and G+. I guess I could look at it as a blessing in disguise. I'll finally put in a good amount of work building my website.

Primordial Scents 2012

The Primordial Scents 2012 perfume project kicked off earlier this month on the 1st. This event organized by Monica Miller of Perfume Pharmer brings together 26 independent artisan perfumers and  26 perfume writers/bloggers. The premise was to compose perfumes based on the elements earth, air, fire, water, metal and aether/space.

Project Mission Statement:

Primordial Scents 2012 seeks to promote PEACE and UNITY in our MINDS HEARTS and ACTIONS

We seek to create positive feelings across the GLOBE in the mediums of SCENT, ART, MUSIC, WRITTEN and SPOKEN WORD

We intend that the use of our ELEMENTAL Perfumes will inspire and support the best in each INDIVIDUAL touched by them and touched by THEM…and on and on…

We want LOVE and JUSTICE

We want NATURAL RHYTHMS to harmonize with our songs.

We want a HEALTHY PLANET

We want FOOD and SHELTER and LOVE for ALL.

We want

EARTH CARE

PEOPLE CARE

FAIR SHARE

Launch Date June 1st 2012

PERFUMES FOR PRIMORDIAL SCENTS ARE INSPIRED BY THE ELEMENTS

AIR, EARTH, FIRE, WATER

SPIRIT

& METAL!

“it’s ELEMENTAL”

You can hop over to Jen Sunderland-Meade's blog This Blog Really Stinks as she has posted an introduction that captures the essence of what this project is all about.

The Facebook page dedicated to my "metal" perfume Aegis of Neith. "Like" and keep updated.

The Primordial Scents 2012 community project page on Facebook

Merry Christmas

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

Payment Methods

Remember back in 2008 when Revolution Money Exchange hit the scene and Etsy was all abuzz about the new way to accept payments? It was billed as an alternative to Paypal, without the transaction fees. I was one of those sellers that utilized RME as a payment option for both buying and selling. My sole transaction as a buyer went well. My few transactions as a seller were smooth. Eventually though RME faded into the background. It is now operated by American Express Travel Related Services Company Inc. and goes by the name Serve, offering no fees on most transactions. 

From the website:

Signing up for Serve is free. FREE? Yep, free. In fact, with Serve all of these features are free:

• Person-to-person money transfers are free
• Transfers to and from subaccounts are free
• Purchasing online and in stores with the Serve card is free
• There are no load fees for funding your account via your checking account
• The first ATM withdrawal each month is free; after that it’s $2.00***

So what isn't free?

After January 1, 2012, there will be fees for:

• Funding your Serve account with a credit card (2.9% of the amount transferred + $0.30 per transfer)
• Getting cash from an ATM (first withdrawal per month is FREE***; after that, it’s $2.00)

Like Paypal, you can add money to your account using a MoneyPak card.

Many crafters who work markets on a regular basis may be familiar with Square. Square is the small card reader that attaches to smartphones and iPads in order to process payments. The app and readers are free. The cost to swipe a card is 2.75% per swipe. The cost to key in information is 3.5% + 15¢. I've read good feedback about Square and although I don't participate in markets at this time I can see this coming in handy.

Another payment option I heard about recently was Dwolla. Dwolla is billed as a cash payment alternative to other online merchant services. The idea is to transfer money bank account to bank account, thus avoiding credit/debit card fees. Money can be sent via email or using a phone number. Facebook connect is also an option. According to the website the fee to receive money is $0.25 per transaction and nothing else. No cost to send money or make withdrawals. You can read an interview with Ben Milne, founder of Dwolla, on Business Insider. Read a breakdown on Drupal.org.

**********

Transfer of funds into linked bank accounts vary from one company to the other. Go to each site, read up on the terms and decide which is best for you.

The Frankincense Trail

I have posted a BBC documentary on frankincense. This one was filmed in, I believe, 2009 and is hosted by Kate Humble. I think an updated one should be made featuring Trygve Harris (and the ice cream). ;-)

http://blossomingtree.blogspot.com/p/frankincense-trail.html