Hello everyone.

This week's blog is going to be short and sweet.

I made my first sale. Yay! My Aunt bought my Flapper Girl bracelet. She seems to be happy with it.

I am hard at work making more things for the shop. I have 2 bracelets waiting to be photographed and 2 that are in the final stages. I want to finish them and take pictures tomorrow. It has been gray and rainy here so the light hasn't been great.

Here is a sneak peek at what I am working on now.

I'll post again when the shop is updated.

Hope the week is going well for you all.

Hello.

I hope you all got a chance to visit the shop. I am working away at my items to add. I had fun doing the photo shoot for the listings. It seemed so silly draping fabric and arranging everything. I think the pictures came out well. I got to use my sister's fancy schmancy camera which really helped. Hopefully I'll get some more time on Saturday to photograph the things I am making now and get them listed.

Another aspect of setting up the shop that was surprisingly fun was coming up with names and descriptions for the things. I hope to make customers giggle or smile at the crazy descriptions.  I still need to work on pricing and policies. I put some things together just to get started. I'll post any updates on the blog and on Facebook.

Today I got my business cards in. 

I am completely freaked and excited. I think they look fabulous but feel weird about having them. It seems kind of phony. Like all this isn't really something to take seriously. I doubt that anyone would be interested in what I am doing and in my stuff. It is very hard for me to shake those feelings off. But I continue. I am going to see this through. I am going to tell the Negative Nellie part of me to shut the frack up and keep on.

Otherwise, things are much the same. I made an appointment with a career counselor at the local public library system. I am interested to see what they have to offer. I am really really ready to move on with my life. 

It is finally starting to be Spring here. I even got a chance to repot my house plants.

Both of them were very root bound. I hope they survive the transfer. The calla lily is very droopy too. I hope having some more room will perk it up a bit. The geranium is a monster. I may need to get a bigger pot before the summer ends. It is going to turn into a bush. I love it. 

I love the smell of geraniums. I worked for a greenhouse one summer during college. Every once in a while I had to trim and clean up the geraniums that lined an entire section. I loved doing this job. I would be sweaty and completely covered in dirt at the end, but smelled like geraniums. I learned that geraniums have a thick sap inside. It smells wonderful and makes a lovely glue for dirt to plaster itself all over. Just writing about this, I can almost smell the green sweetness and earthiness of the greenhouse. That was a fun job.

I hope you all had a good Easter or Passover. And that Spring is bringing sunshine and greenery.

I am going to try to finish some more things and go to sleep.

See you all next Wednesday.

The shop is finally open!

I hope you all are having a good weekend.

Just a quick note to announce that I got the Etsy shop up and running. If you have a minute, come see what you think.

Here is the link to the shop.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/RenegadeLily

It's Wednesday again. It seems like the days are just blurring together. I feel sometimes like I am trapped in my own version of that Groundhog Day movie. Repeating the same actions over and over again and not really getting anywhere. It's making me crazy.

I did manage to complete two bracelets. I finished the one I call Hearts-a-lot and created a new one.  I am not sure what to call it. It is very pretty and it just came together. I wanted to be able to have you all go to the Etsy shop to see them but it still isn't ready.

 I have been looking at some books on how to start a shop and have become a little overwhelmed. There are policies to set and all kinds of other things to think about. My goal is to have it up by Saturday. I want to finish a couple more things. I also need to take some photos. Everybody has such pretty photos in their shops. I need to come up with a good idea to make my things look pretty.

I did have a lovely surprise come in the mail this week.  My friend Anne has a blog. http://www.mygiantstrawberry.com Every year she has a handmade joy exchange. This is my second year participating.

I forgot to take pictures before I sent my package off, but luckily I made something very similar for another friend.

I made a fun little bracelet.

And then I made a little box to put it in.

I also made a card with my favorite stamp.

So that is what I sent. I hope the person likes it.

I received yesterday my package. I was so excited.

It was from a lovely Italian girl who lives in England. She sent me a cute little pouch with some MaltEaster bunnies. Yummy.

She also sent a nice note and a cute bookmark.

This is her shop. http://en.dawanda.com/shop/laubao

When I get things up and running on Etsy, I'll post again.

I hope spring is coming your way soon. I know I am hoping for some warmth and sun.

This past week has been rough. I still don't have the hang of this whole living thing.

As you will have noticed by now the blog has a new look. I think it is amazing.

On to more crafty things.

I got some new beads in for bracelets I am making.

I have one I am making that I call Hearts-a-lot. I had found many different kinds of silver hearts but nothing colorful. I found these on Etsy.

I thought they looked like candy. They are so colorful, shiny and round.

I wanted to make some special Shrinky Dink beads. So I came up with this idea.

 I think this bracelet might be a little bit 80's when it is all done.

I  am making an Easter bracelet too. I finally got the beads I ordered.

Little chick, bunnies and eggs. Along with the carrot beads I made before I think this bracelet will be cute. I also wanted to create some special Shrinky Dink beads for this one too.

I think they are pretty cute. 

So that is what is going on in my world. No great philosophical breakthroughs. No great artistic exploration. Just me inching forward. 

See you all next week. 

I just couldn't wait

The logo is ready.

I am still playing around with the blog design. I am still figuring out al this graphic stuff.

I really am in love with my logo. I want to get a tattoo of it! Heehee!

Now I really have to get the Etsy shop open.

See you all again on Wednesday.

I forgot to post about the amazing designer.

http://www.emmacatarino.com

https://www.facebook.com/EmmaCatarinoDesigns

Check out her stuff.

Creative Craziness

 I almost forgot that it was Wednesday. I just sat down after doing some errands trying to gather my thoughts and realized it was post day.

 This week has flown by. I am still working more than usual. Currently I am sitting at a desk covered in beads, empty soda cans, library books, letter journals I am trying to send to friends and other various detritus of this past week. I have a pile of ironing and bottles of paint I recently bought covering my sewing table to the right of me. To the left, on a small TV tray, I have more beads, library books, my box of Sculpey stuff, and some folded laundry piles. There is also a laundry basket on the floor underneath and folded piles behind me on the bed. I left to go do the errands with my sister in the middle of folding.  

 My bedding is in the washer because I felt the need to throw it in the wash. A decision I am regretting now because I'll have to make my bed before I can go to sleep. I am too ashamed to show an actual photos. Believe me when I tell you that my room looks like an I Spy book.

Kind of like this.

 Last night, after I got home from work, I tried to make my own easter egg beads out of this air dry clay I found at Michael's. There will be no pictures of these either because it was a complete failure. The stuff was so sticky it ended up all over my hands. I couldn't form a good egg shape to save my life. It was a fiasco. So there went half the night.

 I spent the rest of the night laying out beads for two charm bracelets I am making for a friend who is leaving and for this homemade exchange I am participating in. I'll post about it when it is over because I don't want to ruin the surprise for the people getting my stuff. The might read my blog.

 I love and hate doing the layout part. It takes forever for me to decide what beads to choose. I usually buy a few special beads for the recipient of the bracelet and then comb through my supply. I can't go near beads without wanting to buy them. I now have some web sites bookmarked that sell all kinds of awesome beads. And then there is Etsy... I have favorited so many bead suppliers and have a cartload of beads awaiting purchase. So there are quite a few beads to choose from.

One of my favorite sites for some off the wall choices is Goody Beads. Check them out. 
http://www.goodybeads.com

This is one of my favorite.

 Then I spend hours rearranging the beads to achieve the right balance and color combo. This can be fun but often becomes frustrating if I can't make it work. I probably agonize a bit too much about it. This is supposed to be fun, right? 

 I finally got the layout for the two bracelets done. I hope that the ladies getting them will like them. I am excited about giving them out. I hope that when people wear my things they feel the happiness it gives me to make something for them. I think about the person looking at the various things and smiling.  

 Now all I need to do is put them together and hang them on the chain. I got these little boxes to put the bracelets in. I am still contemplating exactly how I want to decorate them. Oh, the possibilities.

I still have a long list of things I need to do after I finish these. And now I just volunteered to make seven pairs of earrings for my sister. Oh lord, have mercy on my pitiful soul. I am insane. I like this insanity though. It is creative insanity.

 Next week the blog may look different. I just got the color proofs from the graphic designer. They are so wonderful. Maybe I'll have everything in time to update the blog. If not, then it will be coming soon.

Have a great week. I hope spring is coming soon to all. Go outside and smell the air. Feel the sun. Look at all the green starting to show.