Titles are Hard, Here's a Post Instead

Today's the day people. I WILL have some items in my shop by the end of today. I'm fairly sure I've done just about everything on my list and all that's left is to price the pieces and list them. I got some good advice yesterday on pricing and I'll see how it goes!!

Highlight of yesterday? Helping a friend out, who ended up helping me out.
See, this friend of mine runs Just Another Geek Site and reviews tech products. She was sent several iPad cases by Proporta, and she asked me to come over and help her with the review. I've been looking for an iPad case ever since I won mine from Southern Fried Snark. However, I just couldn't find anything that suited me well or had all the bells and whistles that I demand. It seems that Proporta often sends her products for review (that's how I got my iPhone case!) The cases that were sent to her ROCKED! I won't say which one I liked the most and ended up staying on my iPad, but I was a happy girl when I left her house. What can I say, free stuff and a couple hours with a friend make for a VERY HAPPY HOPE!!

Time to make the doughnuts now (AKA - time to get to work!)

This is Harder than it Looks

I spent the day yesterday trudging through a lack of motivation. It's a good thing I have this deadline, or I may have just napped ALL DAY LONG!

Instead, I hauled my butt off the couch (where I drink coffee, check e-mails, and write these posts each morning) and headed for the craft room. I worked my way through writing up the descriptions for several of the items and sent out an e-mail to friends pleading for their advice on pricing.

UGH, pricing. I know the METHOD for pricing items: the time I spent on it, the cost of the materials in it, the skill used to make it, and so on; but to actually expect someone to PAY for something I made, to put a price on one of my babies? That's harder than you think.

I do enjoy writing, but trying to eke out those product descriptions yesterday was like PULLING MY OWN TEETH! I couldn't find the words (or I was too wordy), I couldn't seem to find my voice, the descriptions seemed inconsistent, I felt like I was just flailing around. . . wasting time. But, in the end, I got something accomplished.

 Today, I will complete the rest of the product descriptions as well as review the ones from yesterday. I have my fingers crossed that they're actually better than I remember. I also need to take and edit a few more pictures.

I'm SO FREAKING CLOSE!!
(the pictures are samples of what I'll be listing)

Day by Day, I'm Getting There. I'm Really Getting There!

I've got to say it, I'm a little proud of myself. At least, I'm proud of what all I got accomplished yesterday.
First, let me share the beauty that is bead organization by color (a.k.a. my procrastination tactic)

That's not even all of it. OH NO, there's plenty more: the clears, the black and grays, the multi-hued, the metallics, etc, etc. I just wanted to share some of the glory. Especially, since I can't play with any of it until I get something on the site. Motivation!!

Yesterday though. . . I finished going through the completed pieces and made a final decision on what gets listed. Then, I worked on writing my shop announcements, policies, and profile. After that, I started taking pictures and then editing them. I worked until after 8pm! Of course, there were breaks for lunch, shopping for dinner, and cooking dinner (of course, I worked even as I ate dinner.)

Today is a new day though, and there's much more to do. I'm not completely happy with what I have written on my Etsy page (especially the Bio.) If you have any time, could you take a look at what I've got and let me know what you think? I'd really appreciate it!!

Back to the grind  :)

When It Comes to Procrastination, I'm a Winner!

Yesterday I mentioned the deadline for my shop and the work I needed to get done. After posting, I bust into the craft room, cleaned off my work table, and began sorting all my beads by color*. Wait. What?

Yes, I delayed the process once more by doing something I've been toying with doing for AGES. It took me a lot less time than I had imagined it would. Yet, by the end of it, I felt guilty for not getting anything accomplished toward the ultimate goal of getting some product IN THE SHOP!

I still had a few hours before I had to head out, so I pulled the necklaces and bracelets that I do have completed to check their quality and durability. As well, I took a close look at all of them to decide if they really are something I want to put in the shop. Two necklaces (ancient ones made YEARS ago) were taken off that list.

The plan for today is to take the same approach to the handful of earrings I have completed and then start taking pictures of everything. I'll probably also work on writing the shop policies etc. Of course, there's a voice in the back of my head that wants me to work on creating backgrounds for the pictures. Gah! I'm the best procrastinator I know! It will all come together in the end, I just like to push the boundaries of my deadlines sometimes. (Ah, fond memories of all-nighters in college!)

Here I go!!

*I was hoping to post some pics of the beautiful color organization of my beads, but my camera battery is still charging (recovering) and I really should get to work. Maybe later!!

Getting Back into the Swing of that Jewelry Thing

By the end of this week, I should have the Etsy shop open and ready for business with some items listed and everything.

I know it seems to have taken forever, but I've been on two separate "vacations." That's in quotes because the first one was more of an obligation/service than a vacation. Of course, I enjoyed myself. But, the second one was the real vacation. You see, Pat and I went to ARUBA for a week!!! He got to do his windsurfing (and some kiteboarding) thing and I got to sit on a lounge chair under a palappo (dang, I know that spelling is wrong but it means tiki hut) and flip through bead magazines, doodle, and listen to music. Of course, I also took breaks from that to get in the crystal clear and perfect temperature water!! It was wonderful.

Even though we were getting our chill on, Pat and I discussed this new venture of mine and how he'd like to see me speed some things up. As such, I have a deadline of having at least one item listed by Friday. So, instead of playing the week away in the craft room with some of the ideas and notes I have from the week of vacation, I will be working more on the business side of things. We'll see how it goes. For now, I'll leave you with some of my favorite images from Aruba!

That's about it for now. I suppose I should get to work and all that jazz. Of course, these images of Aruba will be floating through my mind all day! Inspiration to say the least!

Getting Things Done (and Feel Good Friday)

This week has SPED by. How does that happen? I guess that it's true that time flies when you're having fun.
I've gotten to craft almost every day this week!!
Seee. . . .

That's my craft desk and the side table. They're so messy because they've gotten a lot of use of course!!

While I have been busy craftilating, I did get a new PayPal account and link it to Etsy as well as develop a banner for my shop. I know there's still no items in the shop, but that's coming soon. Baby steps, people!! I think I may have figure out the sales tax dilemma as well. Next comes actually writing up the information for the shop (profile/bio, policies, etc.)

I know it's been a little while since I've shared some links and it's Feel Good Friday and all, so here goes:

• Make some frozen yogurt pops to beat the heat. Sounds YUMMY!!
• Here are all the best tips for getting in shape from Zen Habits.
• Beautiful rays of light photographs 
• Take a few minutes and watch this tv theme medley. I personally LOVE tv theme songs and this video made me happy!

And for one final feel good. . .it's Margarita  Friday!!!
Y'all have a great weekend and a wonderful Independence Day!!

P.S. Please let me know what you think of my banner!!

A New Account and Sales Tax (fun stuff here)

Thursday was productive. I knocked out some crafting, some household chores, and even had a 'business meeting' with my accountant (sister-in-law.)

After my meeting, I'm feeling a little bit better about all the mumbo jumbo tax and legal stuff I've been reading and trying to comprehend. To start things off, on Friday morning I opened a checking account just for the business (Pat graciously provided me with the initial investment money.) Next, will be linking my Etsy PayPal account to the new account.

I still need to figure out sales tax on purchases. I know that PayPal has a setting for that, but I'm having a hard time figuring out exactly what amount of sales tax to charge. The state's is 4%, the county's is 3%, and my location (outside city limits) is 1%. I know all this adds up to 8%, but I don't have to charge the 3% to anyone outside this county . . . etc, etc, etc. That may be a task for another day. I'm boring you, I know. It bores me too, but this is the kind of stuff I'm struggling with before I can really start selling my creations.

I'm not even sure where to look to find the answers to these questions. Anybody else know?

What's on My Table

After the brain explosion yesterday, today's efforts were centered on e-mail, blogs, and actual crafting!! It was a pretty good day.

I'm not sure if I like what I produced, but I'm happy that I got the creative juices flowing. It made me realize just how fast time passes when you're doing something you enjoy. There just wasn't enough time to get a whole project accomplished. The fault probably lies in the fact that I took about an hour to sort wood pieces (taking out all the warped, broken, and just plain ugly pieces.) Then I got to collaging.

At the end of the day, here's what my craft table looks like.

And what I produced. Please take into account that they're NOT done!

I might actually get back in there after a bit. We'll see how the evening goes.

The First Steps and a Giveaway

So begins the first full week without a job.

Today has been spent going through some information on Etsy and how to set up my shop. I've been saving the links for over a year, so there's a lot of information to absorb. I think I got through a lot of the main points. Now it comes down to actually writing up my policies and profile, taking pictures, pricing items, and listing them. Yeah, THAT's all. Of course, I still need to figure out a few things regarding prices for shipping, tax information, and some of the finer points. I had to stop thinking about it before my head exploded with all the other tidbits. But, it's definitely coming along. I can see (in my head) some actual listing on the horizon.

For now, though, I want to share with you a giveaway from Denise Yezbak Moore. It's one heck of a haul if you win The Best Bead Give-A-Way Ever. Head over to her blog and check it out.

That's one BEAUTIFUL stash!!

A Word of Gratutude and A Roll-up Recipe

I felt a lot better about the new direction of my life after the last post.
There were so many of you who gave me support either here, on Twitter, or on Facebook. For that I thank you!! Stick with me and soon you might be able to buy some of the jewelry you saw yesterday!!!!

Yesterday was spent getting organized AND making one of the dishes I plan on taking to the marriage of Sara and Paul (the most talked about wedding on Twitter) this afternoon.

Since I'm fairly sure my organization is nothing to boast about (YET), I thought I'd share the recipe for the dish I made (that's kinda in the realm of crafty.)
It's one of those EASY things you probably already know how to make or have another recipe for it. An online search yielded a TON on different recipes. They go by many different names: pinwheels, rollups, spirals, meat-with-cheese-in-a-tortilla-thingies,and so on.
All they really are is a tortilla with cream cheese, layers of lunchmeat and cheese, rolled up.
Here's what you need (Ingredients)
Tortillas (any flavor and size are fine - I used garlic & herb ones for most of these)
Cream Cheese (softened)
Lunchmeat (I used both ham and turkey)
Cheese - thinly sliced (I used American and Swiss)
Aluminum Foil

Process:
Place a tortilla on a square on aluminum foil and spread the cream cheese.

Layer the meat(s) and cheese(s) (can just do meat, or just cheese if preferred)

Roll the tortilla with the stuffing as tight as possible

Roll the foil around the rolled tortilla and seal the ends

Chill in the fridge for several hours
Then; remove, unwrap, and slice so they look like this. (You can see I didn't get a tight enough roll on the ends, but the one in the center looks GREAT. In any case, they are TASTY!!)

So, that's as crafty as I got yesterday before I headed out for the "rehearsal dinner."
It should be an interesting and fun time today!!

The Beginning of a New Crafty Lifestyle

I'm at a loss for what to say or where to begin.
Let me announce: I was laid off from work this week.

 While I wasn't too upset, I was surprised and a little sick to my stomach. The thought of "what next" gives me a mini panic attack each time I think too hard about it. Yet, it also opens up the door to all the experiences and chances I've been wanting to take, all the things I've been wanting to try. Without a silly old job, now's my chance. . . right? But, where do I start on this new adventure? What's the path I should take or should I just blaze my own trail?


Pat and I are fortunate enough that he makes a good living for us and has a stable position at the company.  As such, I don't have to be in too big of a rush to jump back into full-time employment. Yet, he would prefer that I don't spend my time sitting around the house and 'playing in the craft room.' He wants to see some effort on my part and a real attempt to bring in at least a little income. [And, no. . .he's not bossing me around or acting like my father or anything like that. As my soul mate, he really does know me. That means helping me find a direction. Otherwise, I'll just flounder around without ever making a decision. His encouragement is really a blessing!]

I don't have a full-blown plan yet but rather a running mental list of what I want to do with this OPPORTUNITY.
 Obviously, I'd like to (1st and foremost) CRAFT more. Thus, I'll need to (2) start selling my wares to meet Pat's "monetarily-productive" request. Of course, being the neurotic I am, I have to (3) start with some 'training.' As well, having the opportunity to (4) blog more often and share this process is definitely in the cards.
And that's where I stand right now.

What do you think? Any suggestions, tips, ideas, etc. . .

I'm excited, I'm nervous, I've got to be out of my mind [I.have.a.degree.in.psychology.what.the.heck.do.I.know. about.making.selling.and.marketing.ANYTHING]

Just had to get that out of my system. . . okay, here we go!!