Happy 2011!

Wow! This holiday season came & went in a flash. I got wrapped up with the etsy shop & the orders that came in. Even the last minute orders! I was happy to see that all my clients (even the procrastinators, and I say that lovingly) got their packages on time. YAY! So with the New Year in less than 11 hours coming, I've already started getting my list of TO DOs for the upcoming year. I'm sure I could go on and on and list them but for now I'll just leave it at one of the most important ones. Getting organized, and keeping to a set time schedule are things I need to learn to manage. I mean I read tons and tons of advice on small/ home businesses, but seriously didn't think how much time it takes out of your day even as you "work" at home. Sam even made me promise that one of the things I need to do at the very least, is not check my email when I'm heading to the gym. So gym time is really me time, no email. From driving over there to working out to coming home and shower, she made me promise to keep that time clear of business type things. She's a smart kid what can I say.
Anyways, the passed two days I've been organizing the craft studio, and I managed to use my cricut (something I put on my list to get more acquainted with in 2011) and came up with this awesome quick project.


I have a ton of binders with different things in them.. I decided to label them.
I used my cricut to cut out the words. I put regular contact paper through it and came out with good results. 

Then I peeled the backing off & put them on the binder spines. 

The contact paper acted as a stencil & I was able to paint in the letters...

I let them dry overnight & peeled off the contact paper in the AM...

"Invoices & Receipts" kept together. "Patterns" will mainly be for my sewing patterns but stencils too.

"Ideas" keep all my magazine clippings for craft ideas, or clothes/ 

outfit. 

 "Nestings" is for all the house ideas I come across & want to try or at least attempt to. They need their own binder, because I have tons of mag clippings for my nesting moments.


So, I'm happy to see that my little experiment with my cricut worked, and she cooperated to crank out these stencils for me.  I've had that poor machine forever. I HAD to have it & when I got it for a good deal off ebay, well...I rarely used it. So, so like I said, one of my other goals is to get more acquainted with it & put it to good use this coming year.
Wish me luck! 
Happy New Year 2011!
Feel free to share any of your new year goals! I'd love to see them! 


shen  

Holidays are here again!!!

I'm so excited. After missing last year's Bazaar Bizarre. We've made plans to go this year!
Taking Sam along with us, should be a fun time up in the city, as always. 

For more information, please visit http://www.bazaarbizarre.org/sanfrancisco/

I'll post pictures in a couple weeks! 

Happy Holidays! 

shen  

nutty holiday season.

The crazy holiday season is upon us again. Things are nuts, and even though I wanted to try and blog at least once a week, I have pretty much stuck to it the best I could. Thanksgiving has come up so fast, and with me concentrating on trying to finish certain items, I feel swamped. I'm not even going to cook this year. Last year, I made an awesome turducken, but this year, I convinced the husband to eat out. So reservations have been made, and this year Thanksgiving is stress free! YAY! 
We'll be going to a local all you can eat buffet restaurant for dinner. Tatami's in Cupertino claims that we will have lobster, turkey, roast pig, and all the sides, PLUS my favorite.. SASHIMI & SUSHI!!!!! wooohoooo!

So no crazy grocery shopping, no getting up early to slave away in the kitchen, no dishes to wash or dirty kitchen to clean... 
It's all so easy, and I feel so guilty. I guess we shall see how I am feeling when we are sitting at our table.

With that said, Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! 
I have to listen to this song at least a dozen times the week leading up to Thanksgiving.. 


Enjoy!






shen  

Why I do what I do...

Crafting, regardless of what the project may be, is my coping method with life. It’s my “quiet time”.  Even when my surroundings are very much chaotic. When I'm concentrating on making something, my mind is clear, focused, and undisturbed. With all the craziness around me, and being in a world of open-endedness this is something I have complete control over. From start to finish, it's something textile, concrete, solid, that I have my hands on & I'm working to complete. If I don’t have a project going, I feel…empty, useless, unproductive… I’m happy when I’m crafting, and the same goes for cooking and cleaning. These are all set steps to get to a final finished vision.

Having the etsy shop open for over a month now has been exciting. Even when I’m just answering questions from random users, it gives me something to do. I like it. Being able to day dream, and figure out the next list of projects to do keeps me occupied. I’m so excited when I make a sale. I honestly think to myself, “SOMEONE actually liked it enough to buy it ?!?! from ME ?!?” I hope that that feeling never goes away.

Life is good. 


Just a snapshot of the current projects...

Click here for more description

shen