Projects...

Being unemployed is great for getting the creative juices flowing, bet ya didn't know that.


A. You have tons of time on your hands to indulge in any creative pursuit you want.
2. Since there's no cash flow you're basically forced to make any and all Christmas gifts.


So, I've been working on a few Christmas gifts lately and just a few projects in general. I won't bore you with the details of the gifts (cuz you never know who just might read this). But I've been working on items for the shop. I'm at an impasse. My interests are diverse, to say the least, and I don't want the shop to look like it has A.D.D. so I'm thinking of opening a second shop or maybe dividing the existing shop into different sections. If any of you out there have any suggestions please do not hesitate to comment!


Basically, it boils down to sewn items, knitted/crocheted items, painted items, and ceramic items. Is it possible on Etsy to divide your shop into 4 sections?? Help!

What no photos?

If you've been blogging and following other people's blogs then you, no doubt, have what I call "blog friends". You know, those bloggers that you follow and make comments to and they, in turn, make comments on your blog and so you sort of have this cyber repartee going. For instance, I try to read this blog and this blog as faithfully as possible and I comment now and then and they comment every now and then on this blog. They are my blog friends.

Then there are friends with blogs. When I first started blogging I started on Yahoo and only one person ever read anything I wrote and that was only because I told him, "Hey I started a blog, read it." And he had a blog that he told me to read. He and I were the only people I personally knew that even knew what blogging was and I felt alone in my little blog bubble. Then I moved over here to blogger and discovered a whole different world going on that I could identify with. However, I still didn't know if any of my personal friends/family had their own blogs. And really I was content to think I had one up on my circle of friends (however untrue that really was).

Well, I am no longer content. I find I am coming to the realization that I want to know what my friends and family are putting out there or even if they are putting anything out there into cyber space.

So having said that (and that's not at all what I had planned to write!) here are a few friends' blogs that I want to tell you about...

Laura's Speech Therapy Blog - Laura and I often talk about how she thinks she is not a creative type but I insist it's in there begging to be let out. So judging by the name of her new blog she scores a point but if you read her posts (all of three that's how new it is) you'll see glimpses of a creative mind in between all the intellectual brilliance.
Lovely Lemondrops - This is Esther's blog. She's an old hand at blogging even though she's only 20 or so. At the moment she's having a fabulous time studying abroad in Merry Old England and her photos show it.
James Laing's Blog - James is an associate pastor at my church and an awesome worship leader. He writes about life in general like most of us do but from a really strong Christian POV.

So there are three. I posted on Facebook that I was curious if any of my friends had blogs so we'll se if any of them trust me or like me enough to let me read what they're writing.

Update

I just wanted to give you a quick update that I am adding things to the shop everyday. Tomorrow I think there will be a bunch. I just have to do some photo taking and that should do it. So go browse, go buy.

I feel I've been productive. Ten placemats are finished and I've finally started taking pictures of some things for my shop...you know, the one that hasn't had anything listed for more than 2 years. Ahhhh, yes, now you remember. I figured that since no one seems to want to hire me and my savings is almost completely gone, it's about timeI got serious with the shop. I'm going to be feverishly sewing for the next couple weeks so's I can have stuff ready for the gift giving season. And really, I'm not too proud to say that pity purchases are welcome, even encouraged. ;)

Avoidance

Instead of starting any of the projects I named before, I decided to decorate a little. I am the queen of avoidance and procrastination! However, I am starting on the placemats today and I think I'm scrapping the costumes...I'm just not feeling it. This Halloween is going to be store bought I think.

I also am making 10 Fimo red and white whirly lollipops. Sorta like this...

Fun!!

Upcoming projects

Here's the short list of some upcoming projects (some sooner than I'd like)...
4 costumes for Halloween - 2 human, 2 canine
a giant floor sized Candyland game board
6 giant styrofoam lollipops
10 placemats
2 cardboard banners
2 beaded bookmarkers
1 glam baby blanket
approximately 10 Christmas presents
And I want to throw in some stuff to put in my poor neglected etsy shop as well...guess I bettr get started!

Autumn!!!

Autumn is my absolute favorite time of year! I love the colors, the change in weather, the potential for wearing sweaters, my birthday! For me the holiday season starts on my birthday (Sept 20) so of course I love this season!! Anywho, I just wanted to say happy Autumn to everybody!

Who gets the punishment?

I came home yesterday and put my purse in its normal place (dining chair). When I picked it up again and put it on (it's an across the body type of thing) I reach down and there's a stickiness, with which I'm unfamiliar. I look at the dining table where the chair is stationed and there's this trail of honey leading from an overturned, open and empty container. Said container had previously been full (approximately 16 fluid ounces). The honey was all over the table, the chair, the floor, my purse and me. Not coincidentally it is also on my cat. GRRRR! I have a feeling I'm going to be finding sticky spots for quite a while.

Now my dilemma is do I blame it on the cat who is just being her normal cat self or do I blame it on the adult sister who left the honey out on the table in the first place?

Gratuitous Sasha pic

Cactus Flowers

I knew, in the far reaches of my mind that cacti flower...a cactus can flower...there are such things as cactus flowers...whatever. But I've never actually seen one. And truth be told, I hate cactus! And I especially hate our cactus...

See there, right where the fence gets taller.

Well, about a week and a half ago we noticed these little thingies on it....

They were sorta fuzzy and wierd looking like the cactus coughed up a hairball or something. then they started growing these sorta pod looking things out of them....

Then they opened and turned into this...

The day I took the above picture, right afterwards I went to dinner. I was gone maybe 2 hours and when I came back, the flowers had gone from that to this...

They really are beautiful...coming from this awful, prickly, ugly plant. Amazing!

Free Time

One week ago today the owner of my company called me into his office and told me to clear out...sayonara...don't let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya...etc. Ok, he said it in a much nicer way but, really, when you get the boot, no matter how nicely they say it, it still feels like they just told you to shove off. So, after being there for 12 years and being constantly working for the last 20 years (with the exception of about 3 months when I moved back home from Seattle) I don't know what to do with myself. I really hate job hunting...never really had to do it before. Most of the jobs I've had I got because someone said, hey, we're hiring, want a job? So, starting from scratch is new to me. And really, I just don't feel like doing it...I know, I know, as a responsible adult I need to, but I'm just not into it right now. Once the money really thins out I'm sure this will change, right?

Fundraiser tonight

For any of you out there in SoCal, my team (those of us going to Thailand in July) and I are having a fundraiser at Chili's in Glendora (the one by Best Buy and Barnes and Noble). In order for us to get our 15% you need to print out this flyer and take it in with you. Thanks so much!!!!

click image to enlarge

Update on things

It's been a ruff few months. My dad past away last month and I am, as I type this, at my aunt's house in Kingman, AZ because we came out to bury my dad's ashes with my grandparents in this little ghost town called Chloride. I was fine with it until it was time to actually put him in the little hole that was dug for him. I couldn't do it even though I had been unofficially elected as the family member to do the deed. The nice guy at the little cemetary saw my distress as everybody else was talking and offered to do it for me. I didn't think it would have been that big of a deal but for some reason it was.
Anyway, now we're getting ready to go back home and I thought I'd take advantage of my aunt's wifi. :) I haven't had much of a chance to do anything crafty lately, I've been busy with, well, just life. However, I've been reacquainting myself with some favorite blogs and I'm inspired, to say the least. So don't be surprised if you see some stuff posted in the near future.

I give up!

I've given up on the internet because the internet has given up on me. Not having a connection at home has reminded me how things were pre-world wide web. Simpler, more stuff got done around the house, more crafting got done, etc (read more tv was watched). So until we can afford to get a proper connection at the house I'm taking time off from my little blog, facebook, ebay, and all my other online activities.
However, as soon as that reconnection is made expect a full update on everything from our tea in my last post to my precious Jasper to any crafting that might be taking place.
By for now,
CrissyGirl