What’s in your closet?

So with my jewelry assembly and photography studio  (aka the guest room) out of commission due to guests in the house, I have been working on other business related tasks.  You know those pesky ones that keep getting pushed off like bookkeeping and work space clean up...ugh!

Well I had a very rare stretch of time when BOTH kiddos were actually taking a nap so I put it to good use.  A batch of my shipping and packaging supplies arrived and needed to find a home.  So I cleared out the closet by my desk and started to re-arrange.  Whoo Hoo!  It all found a nice home.  And before I put away all of those jewelry boxes, I actually took the time to put my logo sticker on each one!

I feel soo much better now that this task is done!

Sneak Peak

I know I promised I would show you photos of my last sneak peak but my house has been invaded by some of my husbands co-workers from the VA office.  Which means I have been cooking and cleaning up after all these extra boys.  And worse yet I had to give up my “play” room so it could be a guest room again.  So I have not had a spot to sit and assemble jewelry or worse yet to photograph what I have completed.
However, I did get some time out in the shop on Sunday, and boy did I make use of it!  I made a million zillion little component bits.  Here is a nice shot of them fresh out of the tumbler….boy was it fun to pick out all of those little bits from the shot!

PS…really I will show you some finished items soon…..I just need my space back!

Take Time to Enjoy the Moment

Lately I have been putting a lot of pressure on myself to achieve certain things with my business.  Sometimes I need to remind myself to step back a bit, and reflect on what is important instead of  what I am not getting done.  I need to enjoy the moment more, especially with 2 small children that are growing soo very fast.
I decided to capture a few moments in time today that made me smile so I could hold on to them longer than the blink of an eye that they last…. 
Here is my little one sweetly sleeping away.  The click of the camera woke him up, but he was all smiles when he saw mommy was there with him.
 
And this one is of my other son playing construction.  He has really gotten into setting up construction site scenarios and acting them out.  Often I find him reenacting scenes from  Swamp Loggers or some other Discovery Channel show he watches with daddy.  I am always so fascinated by these work sites he makes up!

I am off to give my little boys snuggles, hugs, and kisses before they become too big for mommy love…

Sneak Peak….

Look at these lovely bits of textured copper and silver.

I wonder what shall become of all you. 

 

Check back tomorrow and maybe I will show you!

Search Term Tuesday!

You know the drill….Search Term Tuesday features some of the unexpected search terms that people used and came across my site according to Google Analytics.  I then use the search terms to look up products in Etsy to see what products actually show up.  Maybe some of these new ideas will provide fresh inspiration for future products.

Just to clarify, these photos are not taken by me.  If you click on the image it will take you to a link of the listing I found when I ran the “search” based on the terms in google analytics.

So here are the terms and a resulting item form my search:

hand painted totes

shirt with scissors heart

 

 

 snow white mac apple decal

An Untraditional Duo, Make a Traditional Looking Necklace

One day I was playing in my studio and I had some scrap copper sitting next to a Crazy Lace Agate stone. I loved how much they looked together that I decided to merge the two together. This lovely 2 sided necklace was the result.

The copper bezel and twist wire were all created by hand and the resulting item has a feel of an old, slightly worn Victorian locket. I pared it up with a 60" piece of organza ribbon to further accent the antique locket effect. The ribbon allows the wearer to change up the look just simply by how the the pendant is attached.

I have a feeling there will be more of these types of convertible items to come!  Keep an eye out!  This one is listed in My Etsy shop.

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Ask “Why?” Wednesday…

I am breaking with the traditional Wednesday blog posts many people do called “Wordless Wednesday” because any of you out there that have a pre-schooler in your life know that a day is never wordless, but full of “Why?”  So James, Wednesday is for you…
1.  Why is it I don’t recognize a single movie nominated for the Oscar’s (except for UP) this year but I can tell you what kid show is on what channel and when…
2.  Why is it that I haven’t heard a single one of the songs that were nominated for the Grammy’s yet I can sing along to all of the Fresh Beat Bands songs…and will actually spontaneously start singing one of their obnoxious yet catchy jungles on my own.
3.  Why did I even notice that the Fresh Beat Band was previously called the Jump Arounds…
4.  Worse yet, why did I care enough about that name change that I actually had to Google it to find out…
5.  When will I start to be able to enjoy movies and music beyond rating PG again? 
6.  Why do I still pay for a Netflix subscription when the last movies we got from them have been sitting on the end table for about 6 weeks now….

Search Term Tuesday

Well I am running a bit late on this Tuesdays installment of Search Term Tuesday.  I have been running all around and the kiddos have napped in the car but not at home, so I have not had my quiet write time today…
By now you probably know the drill.  Search term Tuesday is about me sharing with you some of the interesting keywords that were used to find my shop and then the items I find using those search terms myself.  The photos shared are not my own, but if you click on the image, it will take you to the actual listing on Etsy.  All seller have been notified that I used their item in my blog…maybe yours will be next!
popcorn bobble hat pattern:  WOW…this one brought 5 viewers to my shop!  I must admit, I had no clue as to what I would find when I typed this phrase into the Etsy search.  I was half expecting a pattern for making a hat for a bobble head figure.  Instead I was pleasantly surprised that it was for a a cute beret like hat.  Now, if only I could knit or crochet!  


art deco beaded hairpiece :  I was very excited to see where this search term took me…I was expecting a slew of vintage items to show up.  What I found was this sweet butterfly hair band.  It reminds me that although Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today, Spring IS around the corner…really… 

  
chanel military blazer :  I love the thought that someone looking for a Chanel blazer ended up in my shop.  I hope they were not too disappointed with the lack of Coco items I had.  When I did this search I was actually surprised at how few items showed up.  This fun little number is very reminiscent of a toned down version of a coat Michael Jackson would have worn.