Spring Events

Hello all! It's been awhile since I've updated things. It's been a relatively slow month; just crafting and waiting for spring to arrive. In Wisconsin, that's really hit-or-miss. We had some beautiful summer style weather mixed in with snowstorms and hail. Things seem to be evening out though; it's raining but the kind of wonderful spring rain that you don't mind getting caught in; the thunderstorms that help you sleep at night because they're so gentle, the lightning that my dad used to tell me turns the grass green in the spring.

It has been a wonderful time for treasuries on Etsy. I made a few of my own and got featured in several as well. Links here: A Nightmare Before Mother's Day, Spring has Sprung, I'm in a Purple Funk, Hair Do's, Member Treasury, and made by me, Earth Day Natural Beauty, Mardi Gras Magic, Cure for a Snowy Day, and A Few of my Favorite Things. Treasuries are really a fun way to get noticed and find many other beautiful crafters.

As spring quickly becomes summer, the craft fair season begins! I'm excited to tell you about a few craft fairs I'll be in this year. For now, I'm only telling you about the ones I've been confirmed to be in. I'm sure more will follow quickly. The first confirmed date is May 21st, where I will be at the Festival of Spring at The Paine Art Center and Gardens in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. For more details, visit my Facebook events. If you don't have Facebook, check out my Webpage events. The next confirmed fair isn't until July, so I'll wait and update you about that one when the rest of my events for the coming months are confirmed. Looks to be a lot of fun though!

The wedding season is also starting! I'm thrilled to be working on several bridal party accessories. I'm hoping to get lots of pics to share the finished projects with you. I'm honored to contribute my work to someone's special day!

So with all the exciting things on the horizons, things are definitely looking up. I really needed this spring breeze to shake the winter doldrums away. Now I'd better quit typing and get to work...

Listening to: Beats Antique, Sunday Driver, and Niyaz
Pics: Latest projects!

Spring is in the Air

The last couple posts were a bit depressing. Let's brighten up a little bit.

Before brightening up though, let me just urge you, if you haven't done so, to donate even just a small amount to the Red Cross for helping Japan: Red Cross Japan

Mardi Gras was March 8th, and I had a party. Because half the guests canceled on me, I turned out to be the only one in a mask. Lol. I didn't mind, it was fun with or without a mask, and I had fun creating a mask to match my corset for the night. I can always wear it next time there's a masquerade at one of the goth clubs nearby. Then, of course, there was St. Patrick's day, which is another of my favorite holidays. I didn't have the day off, so there was no baking and cooking traditional Irish food while listening to my extensive Celtic music collection, but I did at least find some time to go out that night. I was really hoping to find a place with a live band, preferably playing Irish music, but my small town had no options for that, and we went out too late to make it to the big cities. Oh well, maybe next year!

The past couple weeks have been beautiful for weather. It really got me in the mood for spring, so I created a lot of spring-inspired accessories. There are so many new listings on my Etsy site, it's crazy! Today is the vernal equinox, the start of spring. It thunderstormed all day, and I sat inside listening to the rain and the thunder and my favorite Celtic music while I listed everything on my site and sipped at tea. It was a very good day. Unfortunately... it's going to snow later this week. Boo.

I bought a sewing machine, and I'm slowly figuring out how to use it without breaking the thread every five minutes. So far all I've made is armwarmers that used to be knee-high socks, but I'm hoping to expand that after I get a little more practice. The sewing machine is actually the biggest investment I've made in the business so far, other than the booth fees for craft fairs, where I usually make back the money and then some. I'm hoping to make graceful fingerless gloves to match my fabric masks, and eventually even some larger clothing items. Of course I'm still crafting and knitting, so let's just add that to the growing list of things to keep me very busy!

I suppose at some point I need sleep to stay sane, so that's all for now.

Music: Clannad, Blackmore's Night, and Gaelic Storm
Pics: Me in my Mardi Gras mask, and some of my newest spring products!

Setbacks.

Just last week, I was so exhausted from working two jobs, I was in tears. I felt downright defective because I couldn't handle the stress, and I debated quitting one of my jobs. I couldn't decide which one, as they both have their ups and downs, and honestly, the extra money from working both of them made the stress worthwhile. I gave myself a goal to work towards to pay off some bills, and I knew I could get through the next couple months with that goal in mind.

My dear husband and I had a long conversation. He shocked me and thrilled me to pieces by telling me we could put half my check from the clinic every two weeks into my business account. He said because it's time taken away from my business, it seemed only fair to put some of the money back into the business. I was shocked because I didn't think my husband had that attitude towards my business, especially regarding the money aspect. I was thrilled because there were supplies and other items I've been needing for awhile now. With those thoughts in mind, I knew I could definitely get through the stress of the next few months.

This week, I lost one of my jobs.

I suspected that the clinic wasn't doing very well financially. That was confirmed when he took me into the office and told me it was financially impossible for him to keep me on. I was very strong; I managed not to burst into tears until I was in my car. It doesn't matter that he told me it was nothing I did, it still feels like my fault. If I felt defective before, it's nothing like how defective I feel now. I guess one of the things that bothers me is the fact that the choice was taken away from me. Something happened that was completely out of my control. I should have been able to make the choice to quit one of my jobs, and choose which one. Honestly, I would have kept the clinic job and quit the retail one.

Part of me is somewhat relieved. I'll have more time to spend with my husband, on my business, on myself. But of course, the other part looks at the financial issues. I was looking forward to paying off some bills and getting out of debt. With my husband's promise in mind, I've already bought several supplies and other items on credit, and now I need to figure out how to pay that off. I guess the upside to this is that the supplies are already on their way, and I'll have more time to turn those supplies into amazing and fun new pieces. In the end, I can't help what happened; all I can do is move on and try to make the best of it. I'll probably try to apply at a few other places, but until something works out, I'll throw myself completely into the business and see where it takes me.

If you, my awesome friends, family, and fans, want to help me out in any way, you know what to do - support the business by making a purchase or spreading my store and/or fanpage to those who might like it. Every sale I make goes right back into the business and gives me a much-needed boost of confidence. Sorry to shamelessly self-promote, but I think you can understand it right now. Just remember that Mardi Gras is coming up, and I'm sure you have a party to go to or bar plans or something fun you might need a mask or accessory for! You know how much I love to do custom orders too! :)

In other news, to help myself feel a little better, I went out and got my tongue pierced. I needed to do something a little crazy. I'm just now starting to eat solid food again; how exciting is that? Lol.

Listening to: Zeromancer (Chrome Bitch is a really good angry-mood song; it's been on repeat since Thursday.)
Pics: My tongue piercing, and a few Mardi Gras masks to get you in the mood :)

Yay!

I finally took some pictures and got to listing more items for my shop. As of one minute ago, I now have 100 items in my shop. Each item is something unique and different, and each one is something I'm proud of. I still have many more not yet listed, but I think I'll take a break.

I'd love to get my listings back down to a more manageable amount... so I can turn around and list more, of course. You know how to help me do that - buy buy buy, lol, or at least spread the word to those who might like to buy!

Aaah, it's actually quite relaxing to spend some time adjusting photo sizes, writing up descriptions, getting things all set up. Almost as relaxing as the crafting itself. It helps renew my sense of purpose. It's been a long work week, full of stress and drama and snow and general ickiness. I have another long week coming after only one day off. I plan to thoroughly enjoy that day off, and spend it crafting and relaxing, so I can try once again to avoid the ever-closer burnout lurking around the corner.

That's it for today. Back to relaxing... and maybe even some more listing. Who says 100 is enough??

Listening to: The Cruxshadows
Pics: New stuff, of course!

Laziness.

I should be getting ready for work right now. I'm sure I'll get to it... eventually. It doesn't even seem worth going, though I know I need the hours. Because of the slow season, my hours are being cut by a ridiculous amount. I can't skip work, especially since I called in yesterday. I had good reason though; I worked at my other job instead. One less hour, about 10cents more an hour, but more gas to get there. Yes, I have to work today.

I haven't done much in my art room this past month. All the frantic work I did before Christmas caught up with me and made me exhausted, and frankly put me out of the artistic mood. Last night though, knowing I had some projects half-finished, I stepped in the room, cleared off the dust, and got to work. It felt tedious at first, but it didn't take long to get back into the swing. When my friend walked into my house, I didn't want to leave my art room at first. I did, and soon fell into what has become my usual habit - watching old sci-fi shows on the internet as I knit small projects for family and friends. I suppose I could have worse habits. At least I'm still creating. Yet I feel like I'm not paying attention to my business, and that has to change.

I've been telling myself this past month that I don't have time to get into the art room. Two jobs and barely any days off leave me exhausted, and the days I do have off are spent with my husband, whom it feels like I rarely see anymore. Really though, I get home at a decent hour and have a couple mornings off each week. I could be doing a lot more with that time. Instead I let my laziness get in my way. I tell myself, my friends are here, my husband is here, it would be rude to ignore them by working in my art room instead of hanging out with them. Rude? Maybe a little, but there's a tv in my art room, and I could hook the laptop up in there, and if they really wanted to hang, they could hang in there with me. Besides, wouldn't it be rude of them to deny the fact that my business is a business, basically a third job at which I must put in hours if I expect to make any money?

That said, I'm making a renewed effort to get in there and get stuff done. It's been months since I even listed anything new on Etsy. Mardi Gras is coming up soon, and bridal shows are everywhere this time of year. I need to go through the list of craft fairs going on this year and start putting in applications. Being lazy is not an option. I have a list about ten miles long of stuff to do. Maybe that's part of what's been holding me back, that intimidating list. I know that if I take it one step at a time, it doesn't have to be so intimidating.

I have also decided that in the name of networking, I'm sending some care packages of my work to some of my favorite artists/musicians. They are all into artwork, handmade goods, and self-expression; so I'm hoping for a positive result. If they happen to wear something I send them in a picture that happens to end up on the internet, I would be thrilled beyond belief, even if they don't mention my name explicitly. I'll know it's mine, and I will be happy for the exposure. I'm not expecting life-changing results, just the knowledge that my work is out there, hopefully bringing a bit of joy to the recipients.

Now I really really have to get ready for work. What will I be doing after work? Crafting in my art room, of course, and this time I really really mean it.

Listening to: Kim Boekbinder
Pics: None this time, I'm lazy after all. More pics next post, I promise!

Tattoo Tuesday

So you know that tattoo I was talking about awhile ago? The one in honor of my grandpa and grandma, with the ship and the lilies? Yeah... I got tattooed today. It took a lot of saving and resisting the urge to spend all that Christmas money, and two hours of pain, but it was worth all of it. I am so thrilled with every inch of it. My tattooer, Aaron, is amazing and really brought it to life. http://www.evolutioninked.com/

Other than that, there's not too much new going on right now. Just keeping busy like always. The Christmas rush may be over, but I'm working on that commission painting in full force now and also preparing for Mardi Gras, coming up soon enough in early March. I plan to have quite a few more masks in the shop; pretty extravagant ones if my ideas come to life like I intend!

I'll keep updating you as I go with those projects. That's all I have to say for now :)

Now Listening To: Aerosmith
Pics: New tattoo of course!

Loving and Loathing Changes

I start a new job tomorrow. I haven't quit my old one, though I did inform the boss of my new job and because of the change of hours was told I'd be "replaced" (though I haven't seen hide nor hair of a replacement yet). I wouldn't mind getting some extra hours by working both jobs, but if I have to quit my old job, oh well. I really won't miss it. I may miss some people, but not the job itself.

I'm nervous to start my new job. It's the first non-retail job I've had since waitressing in high school. I'm nervous and I almost feel like a fake, like I'm trying to work a "grown up" job I'm not grown up enough to do. I have to take out my eyebrow piercing. I have to keep my tattoos covered. I have to wear a uniform of scrubs, since I'm now in the medical field. I don't even get to wear fun scrubs; they have to be white white white. Can you picture me in all white? If you know me... you really can't. Lol. But, on the upside, it will be so much more calm than my retail job. No running in circles til I feel like I'll pass out. No babysitting teenagers who care even less about their job than I do. No dealing with crazies insisting you need to return this discontinued, used, not-even-from-our-store item right now or else! Or else what? They never say, but they always seem ready to climb over the counter and shake you.

So even though I'm nervous, I know things will work out for the best. Working both jobs will be exhausting for however long it lasts, and I probably won't get as much crafting done. It will help out my bills though, and right now that is more important. My business is doing well enough to support itself with little help from my own money these days, but it isn't making enough to count as a "job" just yet. With time, perhaps, but in the meantime, this new job will help out a lot.

Of course, I'm starting it right before Christmas. There couldn't be a worse time to start, in my opinion. I'm already rushing to get my house ready for guests, my presents finished and wrapped and perfect. Ugh, I'm tired just thinking about it. Is Christmas over yet? Soon, soon. Things will be much less stressful next month. I'll have time to relax and breath a little! (Probably not. I have a painting to finish, a bridal craft show coming up, and of course, getting ready for Mardi Gras in early March.) I'd better stop blogging and get back to work, huh? After a long exhausting day at the retail job, knitting in front of a movie sounds like a great way to unwind. Aaaahhh :)

Listening to: Unwoman
Pics: Some of the knitting projects I'm working on!