Monday Morning Play Time

Everyone needs little play time, don't you? I like waking up ridiculously early especially during the summer. The kids are still sleeping and I have time to play in my craft room, drink coffee, and surf the internet uninterrupted. My creative time of the day is in the morning. After lunch there is no telling what you will get out of me! Usually I design and think about projects in the morning, and work on them in the afternoon.

Today I ran across an ad in some of the online magazines I subscribe to for inspiration and I had to check it out. Houseof3 is a VERY cool spot to get downloadables, tutorials, and digitized items. There are of course more, but can you beat a $1.50 design for your blog background? I haven't found anywhere! And don't worry, they have business licenses and personal licenses depending on what you want. All I can say is beautiful work! Check them out definitely if you need a twitter background or blog background. I bought a blog background that I'm going to use on a new blog for all my creations and tutorials. I thought it would be fun to have a blog that just shows some work!

I am having a little problem though and maybe someone out there can help me. My cell phone camera takes more detailed pictures than my digital camera! What is up with that? I have a Sony Cybershot 7.2 Megapixel camera and I couldn't capture the detail on some tile coasters I was working on. Picked up my blackberry storm and it did the job just fine! I'm going to have to search for how to fix this. Hopefully that doesn't involve buying a new camera!

Y'all have a great day and hopefully you have time to enjoy your creative part of the day!

A new cartridge for my cricut

And it is so cool! I'm sure that Wild Card has been out for awhile, most blogs have had Tutorials and info on this cartridge since 2009, but let me tell you, there is nothing better than getting something NEW TO YOU! I bought this cute little cricut cartridge set today from my local Wal-Mart. It was marked down on clearance and was $45. I'm sure I could have ebayed and gotten in cheaper and some point... but hey I didn't have to pay shipping or wait LOL.

So, I found some really cool blogs that told me all the things I could do with the cartridge and I've been playing ever since. I've come to realize I can make so much.. and there are so many more fun things I want to get to dress up my cards! New toys are the best. And I used this one to make a birthday card for a good friend, and I'm going to use it to make really cool thank you cards for my Scentsy customers. I've also got great plans for an upcoming babyshower LOL. Now I can add this to my card making arsenal and add to that my cuttlebug there isn't much I'm missing now.

Ok.. I lie... I need a Stampin' Up Idea book and I need to order a CTMH idea book and some toys from both of them. Then I'm sure I'll be happy for at least a month!

I also saw the cutest tutorial for making a baby dress out of dish towels. Much like a pillowcase dress, but with a bit of embroidery and some cute ribbon this can be the cutest thing! So, when I get breathing room, I'll post pictures of all of my attempts!

If anyone is a SU demonstrator and would like to send me a catty ;) just send me a message!

Have a great crafty day everyone!

Mother's Day Inspirations

I've spent the last week making handmade Mother's Day cards. I have been really inspired here lately by some magazines, friends' artwork, and the basic desire to create something Hallmark didn't make! My hope is that the recipients will know that even though it's only a card, it was a card that was made uniquely for each individual. Most of the Mom's in my life received their own handmade card with a special note inside, and Scentsy warmers with Scents. I even made an embroidered apron with a unique logo for my Mom's business. Hopefully to let her know how proud I am and how special I think she is. Of course I got her some great perfume to go with that LOL.

What did you do for Mother's Day gifts? Did you buy or create? I have seen great project ideas, and I really can't wait to get bogged down in creativity with my sewing, embroidery, and all my fun other little crafting tools. I will try and post some pictures of my works later.

On another note, my husband has started spoiling me this evening. For Mother's Day he gave me a beautiful gift set of a watch, earrings, and matching necklace. And for dinner he has made me a chicken fettuccine with french bread, steamed broccoli, and Italian Red Wine. SO GOOD!

Have a wonderful Mother's Day everyone!

I'm Feeling Creative

With the glorious days of summer coming up I will have time to relax and play in my office with my toys. This year I added a cuttlebug and Your Story to my collection :) I can't wait to start playing with them!

This afternoon I've started visiting my old haunts online to get some inspiration and see what's new in the world of craft.

What are some of your favorite blogs, forums, and sites? I'd love someone to share!

I have a few things I want to do this summer and one of them includes cleaning out my craft room by making tons of things to sell in my Mom's new store.

Shop Til You Drop - Alexandria, LA

Well, my aunt and I tried our luck at my first vendor show for Scentsy. I wasn't impressed with the crowd, but we made out okay. Other vendors didn't do as well and I was sorry for them. I did make some great new friends though and for me that was the best part of all!

I know that when everyone does shows they are looking at putting money in to hopefully make a profit and for every person that spends money at the booth next door that is less money they will spend at yours. I am happy to say though that we were with a group of great ladies and gentlemen who even if they didn't do as well were kind and great people to talk to.

I have great advice for vendor shows that I picked up from the good people who do these on a regular basis and I wanted to share with you:

* Try at least each show 1 time to see if its right for you
* Pay attention to whether you will need electricity or not
* HAVE A WAY TO ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS- I can't say enough about this one! We had a lady who wanted to order a lot but only had a small amount of cash, when I explained to her we took cards, her order was over $75
* Be kind and considerate to those around you, learn about their products and get to know them as people... you'll meet wonderful people who won't mind giving you tips!
* Have an idea of how you want to set up and bring the materials you will need.
* Make sure you have enough linens on hand to cover your booth up each night
* DO NOT just sit on a chair in your booth and watch customers walk by! - Smile and engage them in conversation and ask them if they've seen anything like your product, give them the benefits of your product etc.
* Dress appropriately. I'm not saying high heels and business suits, but make sure your appearance is neat, clean, and pressed. We wore matching t-shirts with matching aprons so people could visually see we were a team.
* SMILE SMILE SMILE

I'd love to know if anyone else has any tips. I am looking to add more shows to my route! It was a lot of fun and I think I'd like to do about one a month. The money was great for this show. I wish everyone blessings on their shows!

Updates and Great Deals!

Well I took a quick look at my blog today and realized I haven't written in ages, but PLEASE EXCUSE ME! Finals are coming up! But just so you know... I'm streamlining pretty good and I've lost 15 pounds! And I'm ramping up my ideas for my own small brick and mortar store. Well, me and my Mom are doing a small brick and mortar. We've actually already got the building on the property and the first thing we are doing is a massive garage sale to get rid of LOTS of junk. Then we are going to stock the cutest handmade items and a mix of country and antique. My Mom wants to call it:

Ladybug's Butterfly
Boutique and Resale Gift Shop

I don't know how I feel about the resale part because so much will be handmade, but I want to use a lot of recycled materials, and of course there will be antiques, and did I mention chicks, farm fresh eggs, and whatever else is going to be my Mom's pet project?

I'll get some pictures posted soon of our building and the little things we will be doing to get ourselves all decorated in theme. We are pretty excited, but getting up and running will be the hardest part. I have a lot of things to make and won't have much time to begin that until around May and into the summer.

As for my good deals though, here it is so far:

1 - OH My Crafts had a killer sale, and I was able to purchase a Your Story and a Cuttlebug at killer discounts plus FREE shipping! I also snagged some things for both items out of their clearance section and that made for one happy Momma today when they were delivered. I can't wait to play! OMC always has such great deals I'm always on the lookout when my budget permits.

2 - The makers of Scrapbook Trends Magazine also have several other magazines namely Cards, Simply Handmade, and Bead Trends. Oh My Crafts sent me a great coupon so that I can get a digital subscription to ALL of these magazines for only $1 the first month and $9.99 a month thereafter. The best thing about digital with this company was that I can save the subscriptions on my computer, print anything I want, bookmark pages digitally, and access them anytime from the web no matter where I am. Another great feature the online digital version has is the ability to search key words and projects within each subscription to find the exact company's products you are looking for, the project you want to try, or whatever it is you are looking for! Translation: cheaper than news stand prices, won't clutter my office, easy to find materials, bookmarks, and transportable! I'm in heaven!

3 - Close to My Heart is going digital in a major way! They are launching Studio J which translates into digital scrapbooking online. CTMH prints what you've built and mails them to you for a fee of course, but the best part is ALL of there great papers are there for you to choose from including easy layouts that you can add embellishments to, journaling, and of course your own great pictures. I don't have a CTMH website up, but you can definitely order anything CTMH through me, just contact me and let me know what you'd like!

4 - Scentsy's new scent of the month is Red Hot Candy Apple and it is out of this world! My sales for this new scent have been insane! And of course in April is 10% offer so that made it so much "hotter" for my customers. Teacher appreciation is coming up to and Scentsy has a beautiful teacher mid size teacher warmer for its warmer of the month. So for only $22.50 great teachers can have a beautiful gift that shows their passion for their profession. I have one myself for my future classroom. Hard to believe in only one year I will be teaching! I'm so excited!

Those are the best deals around right now... unless of course you consider that my East Texas Wal-Mart has milk on sale for $1.78 per gallon. My good friend just called and told me. I will be shopping tomorrow!

Have a blessed time everyone, and until next time... pray for me and I'll pray for you!

New Year... Lots of New Goals!

Well I think its safe to say Christmas was pretty darn fantastic. Add to that my first day of the new year was spent with my brothers and sisters dining at Olive Garden. It was the first time we'd all been together in the same spot in 9 years! I took so many pictures and have such great memories.

Now with a New Year ahead of me, I've really had to think a lot and pray about what I'd like that New Year to be like. I thought about my family, my personal goals, business, and my home. And I started.

1. I'm overweight right now. Seems I don't spend enough time on me and more on everything else, so I joined weight watchers and in 2010 I'm learning to eat right and take time out to exercise. I also hope to shed some weight and be healthier.

2. My house has been chaotic since we moved in over a year ago. We moved in 2 weeks before my youngest was born and it seems we haven't gotten caught up. This year is going to be about organizing and cleaning out and cleaning up. So far we've worked on our laundry room and installed a new closet system for me and rearranged so that it's more open and we are knocking out all of the laundry. Next we are going to completely redo my office to make it more efficient for my use and able to hold more than what I've got...

3. Even though the holidays are over, business is still booming. The great companies I am an Ind. Consultant for have pulled out all the stops for January. Double hostess bonuses, 40% off sales, and new products. That means I've had customers contacting me to order! My goal is to do more parties though this year. I hope to hold at least 1 Tupperware Party and 1 Scentsy Party a month. I really hope for more of the Scentsy parties... ok.. the basket parties :). I'm also going to map out several craft shows to participate in to get my name out there and get some hair bow business going.

4. I'm going to spend extra time with my kids doing fun, educational things. Whether its a museum visit, trip to a small town to see a Civil War reinactment, it doesn't matter. But we are going to get out of this house and do stuff.

I think Organization for 2010 is my key theme. Organization of home, time, and business. If I'm better organized I'll be able to help out more and do more things for our church, family, and community. I'm not calling it New Year Resolutions, I'm calling it my New Life Goals that just happen to begin at the onset of a New Year.

Have a blessed day!