Another interesting jewellery destination - Isle of Man

I just sold a happy pair of earrings to another interesting place!  Last week it was Iqaluit, Canada, in the Great White North, and this week it's the Isle of Man!

I don't know much about the Isle of Man... except that I had a co-worker that was from there.  And living there involves ferries.  It's also where Manx cats are from... and the Manx language, which I believe no longer has any native speakers.

So off I go to learn a bit and share about this latest interesting place...

[as an aside, what should I call these posts about  interesting places I sell to?  I need a catchy name - any suggestions would be appreciated!]

So in case you didn't know, the Isle of Man is an island between Britain and Ireland in the Irish Sea.  It's a 'British Crown Dependency' which means it's sort of governed by the UK, but mostly does it's own thing.  It's not considered part of the UK though.  It was so confusing when I was studying for my life in the UK test about which countries made up the UK, and that this was different than Great Britain, and this was different from The British Isles, etc etc... and the crown dependencies like Jersey and Guernsey. And the Isle of Man. It's all very confusing, I don't know if British people get it either.

The Isle of Man has a very long history and a good chunk of prehistory - it seems to have been inhabited since 6500 BC, back in the good ol Bronze age, which makes it nice and interesting.  I like the Bronze age, they had some nice mounds and things :)  Apparently it was never part of the Roman empire either, which is interesting.

The Isle of Man's capital is Douglas, and is home to under 100,000 people.

The Isle of Man's capital, Douglas

My research shows I was right and the last native speaker of the Manx language died in 1974 - but luckily, it was well recorded, there even being a Bible written in Manx, and it is being revived in the media and in communities.  Hooray!  Manx is a Celtic language so it is closly related to Irish and Scottish Gaelic.

...Oh my gosh, have you seen the Manx Loaghtan Sheep??  They have four, or sometimes SIX horns!!  That's amazing!  Six horns!  It's like something out of a fantasy novel! There's some crazy things I learn when learning about these different places.  I have to go just to see these sheep!

Crazy Isle of Man sheep

I went to look if any famous people come from the Isle of Man, and whaddya know!  The BeeGees are from there!  Who knew.

Know we all know a fair bit about the Isle of Man.  I hope you enjoyed this post!

Start your own Etsy business with less than $50 (and make it all back before investing another dime!)

Or, less than £30 if you're in the UK like me (...and that's £29.18 to be exact!)

You want to set up a jewellery business, but you don't want the risk of putting lots of money into something before you start making a profit, do you!  In this 'example business', we're going to start a polymer clay jewellery business with less than 30 pounds - and you'll be making money before you invest any more money!  The money you make from the business is what you can reinvest and watch your business grow.

I've had so much fun watching my own Etsy business grow, and one of the things I'm most proud of is how I never sunk a lot of money into my business before it started making profits.

Iqaluit - another interesting place!

I've just been made very happy by getting a purchase from Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada!  I love a sale from somewhere interesting - and even though I'm from Canada, Iqaluit to me sounds exotic and wild :)  It is the capital of the Territory of Nunavut, in the north east of Canada.  It's a relatively new Territory, I sort of remember it's formation when I was a kid - when the Northwest Territories split into two.  I've always wanted to visit the Canadian north... the wild landscapes and small communities sound really attractive.

So off I go to Pinterest and Wikipedia to see what I can find out about Iqaluit and Nunavit to share with you all...

Coryographies on Great Imaginations

I love finding my jewellery on other people's blogs... it's a great feeling :)  Great Imaginations has a lovely gift guide for book lovers this Christmas!  See if you can spot you-know-who...

15% Discount - Poster!

I made a little poster to advertise my November discount (see below post).  Hooray!

November Discount! 15% off until the 15th :)

I'll be going away for the first two weeks of November, so I'm offering a 15% discount to anyone who purchases from me during that time :)  It's always nice to come back to a big list of orders to keep me busy!

When you're at the checkout on Etsy, just type in the code NOVEMBER15, and you'll get 15% off your order.  I will start on your order after I come back (meaning it will be posted 3-10 days after my return).  So get your Christmas shopping done and take advantage of saving a few pennies!!

Moving in - setting up craft desk!

I've been moved in to the new house for a while now, and I have a new craft desk!  It's white, so I think I might decopatch it in a pretty light paper with birds or something.  But for now it looks TERRIBLE!  But I'm still getting work done :)  Note the random items that don't really belong - the ice pack on the floor...?

Life in the UK Test

I've lived in the UK now for just over 5 years.  My Visa is soon expiring, and I will be applying for permanent leave to remain, so I can obviously continue living with my husband!  And in the country I now consider my home :)

One thing I have to do is pass the Life in the UK test - which mostly covers British history, culture and government.  The questions are surprisingly difficult - and they're not on how to make tea or who won last year's X factor!  I've taken a few practice examinations, and am halfway through the book that the test is on, and a couple of questions might be:

Q: What order do the patron saints of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland fall within the year?

and

Q: Name two forts that are found on the site of Hadrian's wall.

or

Q: How often does Prime Minister's Questions occur during Parliament?

It's all a bit difficult if you're not interested in British history or politics!!  I don't think a lot of people in Britain would actually pass the test, unless of course they're history buffs and also work as a politician or lawyer... but oh well, I study on! I think it's actually quite lucky that I study archaeology, because it means I already know a bit about the prehistory of England.  And I rather like the Anglo-Saxons, so I know that area of British history, and since my husband and I like to take walks in the countryside, I've picked up a bit of information about geography and history that way.  But I'm actually a bit nervous about passing!

The test costs £50 to take, but the actual Visa I'm applying for is over £1000 :(  It's all worth it though (even though I wish it was cheaper!) so I can live in this amazing country!

A-Z book survey

I used to love surveys - remember the days of early Facebook and 'notes', or even previously, when you'd get loads of forewards in you hotmail inbox, which you fill out and send on to your friends?  Those were the days.

So I was excited when I saw this book survey that Ellie did at Wellies, Crochet and Cows, and I thought I'd spend a few minutes not doing work and doing this instead :)

Author you’ve read the most books from.

Oh gosh... I'm not really a serial-author reader.  I read 5 books in the series by Jean M Auel, Earth's Children.  That probably wins!


Best sequel ever.That would be the second in the aforementioned series, The Valley of Horses.

Interview with Kirsty from DiGgeek - jewellery for the fashion conscious archaeologist!

Nothing is more interesting than our human past.  Alright, that might not be a universal opinion...!  But really, what could better than combining a love of the past with a love of personal adornment, meaning archaeologically themed jewellery?? In my latest interview, I ask Kirsty from DiGgeek about her Etsy shop and business, and her fantastic, sometimes humerous, always original, pieces:

Cory: Please tell us a bit about yourself and DiGgeek.

Kirsty: I'm a bioarchaeologist having obtained (through ancient DNA, sweat and tears) my doctorate at Durham university a couple of years ago. I realised that the life of the pure academic was not for me though and started doing lots of outreach with the public - all about bones of course! I worked my way into the university museums and am now a full time learning officer on world heritage site, so I must be doing something right!