Showing posts with label etsy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label etsy. Show all posts

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Tagged!

I’ve been tagged by hojpoj.
I am so excited because I’ve wondered if it would ever happen, and I love laughing out loud at all of the hilarious things I’ve read when people write about themselves.
• Start with 7 random facts/habits about yourself. People who are tagged have to write their 7 things on their blog. Then choose another 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave them a comment to tell them they have been tagged and to read your blog.

7 things that people might not know about me:
*1. I absolutely CANNOT eat in a restaurant by myself. I have tried, there is just no way, not ever, it ain’t gonna happen. I really don’t even like to eat with other people if our table is out in the open, and not against a wall. It’s just so…barbaric- to have people watch you eat.
*2. I am crazy about miniature things, and whenever I see something tiny, like doll buttons, I turn into this gushing idiot, and I keep saying “Aren’t these the most precious things youv’e ever seen in your ENTIRE life?” (See pic of random miniatures I've been using lately)

And whoever I’m with usually just nods in agreement and tries to move on quickly.
I was fascinated with dollhouses and the furnishings that go in them when I was little, but never had one. I still think I may get one and decorate it, but not with that expensive furniture at Hobby Lobby, I’ll make my own.
*3. I hate swimming. I finally took lessons at age 11, and flunked. It doesn’t seem natural or normal to me, kind of like flying in a plane; human beings are just not meant to be underwater or up in the sky. (No offense to people who love these things;) some people say “But I feel so free”- I just feel freaked out.
*4. I absolutely love spelling. It drives me CRAZY that I find misspelled words all the time, in books, on signs, in blogs – you name it, they are EVERYWHERE.
*5. I do not have a creative bone in my body when it comes to cooking. No matter how many times I’ve tried, I just can’t get into it. I try on Thanksgiving, and I made an awesome turkey last year (for the first time), but I have to have a recipe and follow it exactly. I’m not one of those people that enjoys experimenting and ‘throwing things together’.
*6. I cannot have short hair – it makes me feel naked. (Is there a phobia trend developing here?) I once went 5 years without getting my hair cut - crazy I know.
Now I get a haircut once a year, at the beginning of the summer, but only an inch or two.
*7. I am good at taking tests, give me just about any book and let me take a test, and I will ace it. But I cannot find my way from one side of town to the other, even if it's somewhere I've been to several times. I don't look at landmarks AT ALL. I have to know the street name, and people have to give me directions like, Turn right on Jones St., turn Left at 3rd Ave., etc. It drives me insane when people say, "Oh just go past the Taco Bell, and up a hill, etc. etc." AAAAAHHHHHH!

Ok, there, I've finished my ranting. Now the hard part of tagging 7 more people. I don't know what happens if they've been tagged before, but I guess we'll find out.
Here's my lucky 7:
Dottie Angel, Mosaic Cottage Happenings,
Alices Looking Glass, An Odd Duck, Hello My Name is Heather, Apron Thrift Girl, Holly Loves Art

10 more student days this year, and I'm going to make a goal of at least 3 blog posts per week this summer. I can't wait to fill up the shop with more stuff soon. It's been dwindling due to sales- that's definitely a good thing, as Martha would say. Ciao!

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Should I...Or Shouldn't I?

I should, and I did. I made a decision about the next school year. I am so relieved that I finally made a decision about teaching next year. I have been debating for a long time about reducing the time at school, and I finally requested it. Hopefully it will work out the way that I want it to, and it will be a smooth transition. Basically I will teach 8 cycle days out of 10, instead of 10 out of 10. It sort of works out to 4 days of the week, but every time there is a holiday or a teacher work day, the cycle days shift, so my days off would not always be on the same day of the week. I am extremely happy and at peace that I don’t have to decide what I want to do anymore. If it works out, I’ll have one more day a week to create and work on my art business. I’m just so exhausted sometimes after teaching that I don’t have enough left in me to do anything fun or creative.
Anyone else out there shifting from full time to part time, or quitting completely to do their art? That’s my big dream… someday.
The etsy shop has been going swimmingly this month. It’s only the 12th, and I’ve already had 11 sales! I am going to keep working on improvements too. I found a blog by littleputbooks (check the links to the right), and this wonderful etsy seller has put a lot of selling tips and advice into a really nice format. I’m definitely going to keep it in my weekly blog-visit rotation. There are so many talented people on etsy~ it’s been almost a year since I have been exploring that site, and 4 months as a seller, and I am still amazed by the cool people I find there. It makes me sooooo happy. I just wish we all lived in the same city, and we could all have a cup of tea and be creative together. Oh well, at least we have the internet.
That reminds me, I’ve been meaning to get a world map and put a little red pin into every spot where I’ve shipped work to, kind of as a visual reminder that people all across the globe appreciate me and like my work. It was Kev’s idea and I love it. Now I just need to find a good map, and enough wall space to hang it in our tiny house. Here are a couple of pics of my ‘corner studio’ in our living room, right by the front door of our house.


Kev’s workspace is right behind mine, facing the other wall~ that’s where he does all of his ‘stamp collecting’. It’s so cute to see him with his magnifying glass studying the miniscule details of antique postage. “They are little masterpieces” he says. I’m glad I married somebody who understands and appreciates the visual wonders in the world.
Well, off to work now, dreaming of summer…35 days of school left, and counting!

Monday, April 09, 2007

Ahhh, Monday...

Well, back to school today after a blissful 10 days off. I'm grateful for the time off, but it's hard to go back. Looking forward to summer now~ less than 7 weeks to go.
Anyway...I got a few optical lenses from MantoFev-a great supply online store, and here's one of the faux ones:

They are fun to do these little collages, and MantoFev is right here in Omaha!
Here's the pile of lenses that I need to finish to put in the shop~














As for my sewing pile, I made the asian patchwork purse that I've been thinking about for awhile, and it's very sweet and I love how it turned out. I may have to make myself one!

















Must get back to Dancing with the Stars now! I'm very disappointed in the basketball player guy, because he's not even trying. My prediction is Ian Zering (Beverly Hills 90210) will win it, but I could be wrong.

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Busy, busy, busy

Ok, so here's the result from the black and turquoise picture from my last post. I look intense in this picture, but I'm really happy with how it came out. It's so comfortable!

The success of this dress will have to make up for the fact that my vest (below) did not actually sell. The buyer has not responded to my invoices. Too bad, but not much I can do. Sometimes things come up I'm sure, it's just frustrating not knowing what happened. Well, time to relist it. I'm in a showcase on Thursday, and one on Saturday I think, so I'm trying to get lots of stuff in the shop.
I'm thoroughly enjoying being away from school and being creative. It's awesome. I'm trying not to even think about school, and even if I have anxiety next week, I know I can get through 7 more weeks of school~then summer, then I think substitute teaching next year. I haven't decided yet, but I'm beginning to feel burnout, and I would like more time to work at home. I'm so blessed that I'm married (FINALLY!!!!) and I actually have more options than I've had for the last 13 years. It would definitely be financially a stretch, but subbing pays well, and I could probably make almost as much as I do now, if I worked alot.
Also, here are some more altered dominoes~ I love these!

Off to create some more:)

Friday, March 30, 2007

Spring break 2007

Woo-hooo! Spring break officially begins today, and I am uber excited! I woke up with a very stiff neck, and I hope it's from sleeping on it wrong, because I don't want to go back to the chiropractor-ugh. They don't seem to help me that much anyway, and it gets way too expensive.
Also, this morning (except for the neck) got off to a wonderful start, because the vest I made a few weeks ago just sold on my etsy site!!! I didn't like being my own model (see previous posts), so I'm glad that my picture didn't deter my customers.















So this week I have to sew some summer dresses, and I've got some GORGEOUS sheer black and white (one of my favorite combinations) fabric to work with, among other things:)













And... some fabulous turquoise and silky black, which will be an asian-inspired black dress with a turquoise sash (obi-style).













I've got to spend some time figuring out the new canon, and I didn't get the tech guy at work to fix my photoshop issue on my mac, so I'm going to have to use the windows machine (it has paint shop pro on it) to experiment with some photography art. I am not comfortable on a windows machine, but I'm sure it's not that hard...

Monday, March 26, 2007

Monday...

{SOLD} Well, I got one of the purses from the last post done this weekend:

I really like how it turned out, especially the detail on the front. I just love all of these asian fabrics, and how they look together. I want to piece all of these together someday, and make a patchwork bag. here's the detail on the front of the messenger bag:














On a different note, I bought some neat supplies with some of my tax return, and I'm contemplating what to do with them. There seems to be a 'circle' theme lately...

I also bought a new camera, and it's more complicated than I'm used to. I hope I can begin to take decent pic's with it soon.

Friday, March 23, 2007

Weeeeeekend!


Well, it's officially the weekend, and I've been working on some polymer clay beads this week. Actually, I've been dabbling in lots of creative endeavors, as usual. I think I'll bake these tonight, I haven't done that in years, but I remember the smell. It's beautiful out though, so I can open the windows. I'm really sensitive to smells. My family rolls their eyes when I complain about someone wearing too much perfume, or if someone tries to use a cleanser that has toxic fumes, etc. Making some resin jewelry is something else I need to do this weekend, and except for the crystal lacquer stuff, I haven't mixed up the 'real' epoxy stuff yet. I'm paranoid that I'll do it wrong.
Also, I'm going to use some more of my Asian fabric to make a purse tonight, since my Asian purse is no longer in the shop. I can't decide on a messenger shape or a boxy one with darts. Maybe I'll do both-I have 2 different red asian prints, so I can do two. I don't know if I'll ever narrow down my creative spurts to one genre or medium, but I really need to stop worrying about it.