Shop of the Week: Flying Zoo Toys

First of all, let me welcome you to our new project called “Shop of the Week” where a different Etsy Twitter Team member will be featured each week. I’m looking forward to getting to know our team shops!

Our very first Shop of the Week is Flying Zoo Toys. From flying ladybugs to flying fish, this shop is filled with handcrafted fun! Each of the flying wood mobile toys has wings that flap when set into motion via a tug on a string. The artist, Monika Mrozkova, originally from Czech Republic, has been making these wooden mobiles for more than 15 years. She is a full time artist whose work can be seen in galleries across the USA. She has been selling on Etsy since April 2008.

Currently, she only ships to the US and Canada. To receive your purchases for Valentine’s Day, order by February 6th.


Her toys are painted brightly and have a whimsical quality about them. Anything from her shop would make an excellent gift for a baby or adults of all ages.

Everything in Flying Zoo Toys is 15% off for this week. A refund will be issued through PayPal after completion of your purchase. Take advantage of this offer – you won’t be let down by the magic of these toys.

(Photographs © Flying Zoo Toys/Monika Mrozkova)

"Shop of the Week" Promotion

In order to promote our team Etsy shops, I have created a project called “Shop of the Week” for our team. What does this mean for you, our members? It means promotion, promotion, PROMOTION!

The “Shop of the Week” will receive a feature on the Etsy Twitter Team blog, their Etsy mini prominently displayed on our blog sidebar, blog features on team member’s blogs, and lots of promotion by all of our members on Twitter.

To be “Shop of the Week” you must to sign up for the week you want to be featured. Please think about this week carefully and choose a week where you will have a lot of items in your shop as well as not be on vacation mode at all during that week. There will be a few interview questions for you to answer for your blog feature.

Weeks will run from Monday – Sunday. I don’t want to split the weekend up so we’ll start fresh with a new shop on Mondays. The first week available is Monday, January 19th to Sunday, January 25th.

Week reservations will be given on a first-come first-served basis. If the week you want is already taken you will have to choose another week. If you must cancel your scheduled week please do so as soon as possible so I can get another shop in for that week.

As members of the Etsy Twitter Team, you are kindly asked to promote the “Shop of the Week” every week on your blog and on Twitter. We want to reach as many people as possible with our promotions. This is only going to work if we all participate!

In order to sign up for the week you want, please email Vickie at inmyhead[at]rochester.rr.com. Your email MUST include the week you want, your second choice for a week, and your Etsy shop address.

Let’s all work together to promote our shops and make the Etsy Twitter Team shine!

UPDATE: 1/26/09: We are filled up until May 24th. I will keep updating to keep you posted.

Two Twitter Treasuries!

Gina from ginamstudio kindly created an Etsy Twitter Team treasury when she snagged one earlier today. Thanks, Gina!!


I also got a Treasury West and made a pink themed treasury of team member items!

Please click and comment!!

A letter I wrote about Prince Harry's comments

Happy New Year to all. I thought I would post this up to show my views on the comments made by Prince Harry which I sent to local newspapers. I'll come up with something more inventive next time.

In light of the recent racist comment made by Prince Harry about a Pakistani member of his Platoon as well as a complaint made by a constituent over racist abuse; I am compelled to air my views on the subject.

Racism or any type of discrimination in any shape or form is unacceptable. It should be stamped out at root and branch in institutions like the Army, like the Police. That is why it is so important that members of the British National Party are not allowed in the Police Service.

This outburst highlights a problem that many people still believe that the term in question is not racist. In most cases I believe that the use of the term is down to ignorance and is not malicious in intent. However this type of language is still derogatory and must be erased from casual conversation. This is not about political correctness; this is about treating each member of society equally and with respect.

Britain has come on leaps and bounds from the utterly abhorrent days sparked by the Rivers of Blood speech from Enoch Powell. We have moved forwards together in our communities to look past skin colour and vicious lies spread by fascists and racists like the British National Party.

Whilst Britain has moved forward to become a more tolerant society; this recent outburst illustrates that there is still work to be done to ensure that old unjustified prejudices die and are not revived by violent thugs who wish to destroy our communities for political gain.

Our First Treasury!

It's our first Etsy Twitter Team treasury!!

Please click and comment!

I will probably switch items out so more team members get promotion. So check back often!

UPDATE: I changed out the whole treasury for new items from other team members! Check it out and click and comment!

Faith groups

I read an article in the papers today illuminating the growth of faith communities. Politicians and pastors a like met to discuss the roles in which these groups can play in local communities. While I respect the right of individuals to undertake their private beliefs, I'm very sceptical when I see the words religion and politics in the same sentence. However well intentioned these people are, faith is not the answer to solving problems like housing, fuel prices and the like. Although what some of the faith groups said on increasing understanding and diversity is to be welcomed, faith is still very much a cleavage and is very divisive. The inclusion of groups in community initiatives and activities could create more problems than solve them.

Third camp physicians

I experienced not one, not two, but THREE consultants applauding vehemently when I mentioned the dreaded word "socialism" at a meeting with the Royal College of Physicians on the subject of co-payments last week. Does this suggest that instead of reading medical journals consultants are reading Capital and the New Left Review? Are we in a pre-revolutionary situation? Are we going to see the Countryside Alliance calling for workers control? Make haste comrades and don't stop until the pips squeak!

Food for thought?

The highlight of my trip back to Norwich is to partake in a Delia Smith charged meal on the restraunt car of the train. Sometimes you are joined by Mail on Sunday journalists who are always a danger, Daily Telegraph who are even more of a danger, fortunately though you do meet an odd nice constituent. The meals are excellent and usually finish by the time you get to Ipswich.

To take that service away will destroy I think the concept of British rail travel, which has been part of our lives for years, from getting a bacon roll in the morning to sitting down to dinner in the evening. So many people rely on this on the way back home from London. By the time I arrive back in Norwich it can be as late as 11 which is far too late to be getting pots and pans out to cook a meal. This service is well appreciated, well used and helps to make ammends for what is a pretty poor service with there often not being enough seats for passengers, services being severly delayed and cancelled. The decision to cut this service makes no sense at all.

Tony Benn spoke in the Maddermarket Theatre in Norwich yesterday afternoon and unsuprisingly captivated a large audience with his views, especially on democracy. Although an elder statesman (yes he's older than me!) he is still as quick as a whistle. He said it was clear that Bush needed Blair's political support on Iraq, the fact that it would be more pallitable internationally if it was not just America "going it alone" so to speak. The troops that went with the support that Blair gave, Benn went on to say weren't needed.

Please check the member list!

Here is the latest list of members of Etsy Twitter. Please check it over as it will be sent to make this an official team on Monday. If you are not on it, please convo me on Etsy: http://scraparcs.etsy.com . Thanks!
-scraparcs

3zart
acageybee
adnagam
AmbientLights
Ameesadornments
amorevivo
AngelKissesJewelry
ara133photography
arawlins
artmixter
babycakes1011
bamdesigns
BellflowerTextiles
blackbird72
crochetgal
cupcakechristmas
curiousmess
CutthroatBodyArt
EirewolfCreations
elysiumbeads
Emmakat
flutteringdesigns
flyingzoo
gemheaven
GemsByJerri
GulfCoastCottagePDF
handmadebydiana
HomemadeZen
humblethings
IguanaMakeIt
inmyheadstudios
invitesbyjen
jermantowicz
jewelcraftdesigns
joojy
journeyoflovedesigns
kimforbeads
koup
KreatedbyKelly
kyko
laurali
LazyTcrochet
LCFashion
lelephantrose
littlealouette
LMcreation
LMcreation
lpathia
MaineLeeCrochet
MeaCulpaBodyandBath
miapie
missficklemedia
mixdclay
mommylion
moonofglass
Morganmelim
mufi
MysticStarTreasures
MySweetThree
noadi
pancakesandnoodles
pandjcrafts
Parrish
PenguinwareBoutique
pinksugarninja
prettywhimsical
racheljasmine
rainbowrevolution
ReneeSuich
RockisSupplies
RoseBushDesigns
seedtobead
SimplyShell
soaprehab
somavenus
starrydeborah
stitchingcrafts2
StylinPupPillows
SugarAndSpice
sunrisecrafts
tangocatgems
TheCupcakery
thepinksamurai
thewildhare
Timeless
TweedleBee
umlauf
vickijoycedesigns
VKnO

How to act against detention

I went to see the play "Motherland" a couple of nights ago with performances from Juliet Stevenson and Harriet Walter. The play is based on experiences of refugees seeking asylum in the UK being detained in detention centres. It was a very moving performance, but more importantly it highlighted the disgraceful treatment that many receive when seeking asylum in this country, particularly children. Many families have come here seeking asylum from oppression and violence, and for them to be treated the way that they have been by immigration services is utterly disgusting.

The Government decided in September to remove its opt out to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, allowing child asylum seekers to be fully protected by this convention. I hope this will mark the end to indefinite detentions and abuse of people that have started new lives in this country.

Welcome to the Etsy Twitter team!

We've had fantastic turnout so far and I'm very excited to see the Etsy Twitter team get off the ground! Thank you all for joining and welcome!

-ScrapArcs

Give Bees a chance!

The sound of "give bees a chance" droned over 10 Downing Street by keepers from accross the country. Over 400 potestors came to blow smoke around Parliament Square. A delegation presented a petition with 140,000 signatories to 10 Downing Street.

They wriggled their way from Parliament Square past the lunch time joggers with evil thoughts of releasing bees on Whitehall bureaucrats. I got quite a buzz from the event.

Football and religion

There is much consternation in the city as far as the team is concerned, will they survive or will they be relegated? The club is looking for new investment so why shouldn't the evangelical church man who is building sites in Drayton and on the Heartease recognise that was put so well by Bill Shankly that "soccer is bigger than life and death"! is the evangelist listening?





In relation to politics, old Bill came up with another little cracker especially now considering the financial markets bottling it. "The socialism I believe in is everybody working for the same goal and everybody having a share in the rewards. That's how I see football, that's how I see life". Not Bevan, but not wrong either.

Top 5 Quiz Generators for Online Educators

Top 5 Quiz Generators for Online Educators

Building out quizzes for both traditional and online classes can be a time-consuming chore. Luckily, there are now many online "generators" being designed that take much of the work out of online test taking. If you need to create a simple online test, look to the five user-friendly tools below.

1. Exam Builder – With this exam generator, you can create an online test in a Web browser, and then publish it in one click. You can customize each test for online registration and individual retests, plus the site provides an analysis on how your students scored as a whole.

2. Quiz Center – Brought to you by the Discovery Channel, this easy tool will allow you to create, publish and grade quizzes online. This generator is very flexible and, perhaps even more importantly, is free of charge. Teachers should find this tool useful at both the K-12 and college level.

3. Easy Test Maker – Here, you can create a host of different tests at no charge. Your answer options will include multiple choice, fill in the blank, matching, short answer, true or false and more. This robust tool includes a spell check function, as well, which comes in very handy for those of us creating tests late at night.

4. Charles Kelly's Online Quiz Generator – This multiple choice test generator is very popular amongst tech-savvy college instructors. It allows you a lot of freedom in terms of formatting the data.

5. JavaScript QuizMaker – As the name suggests, this is a quiz generator that provides JavaScript that you can cut and paste into your own Web page. If you are operating your own classroom site, this can be an easy way to host a test on your page.

The above tools have proven to be very useful and popular amongst online instructors. Although more complex tools do exist, most teachers are looking for easy-to-use generators to maximize their productivity. These resources will certainly save you time and make online test taking easier on your students.

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This post is by guest blogger, Heather Johnson. Heather Johnson is a regular commentator on the subject of top online universities. She welcomes your feedback and potential job inquiries at heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com.