Big Jewelry Sale and a Sneak Peak of Upcoming...

I love my storage cabinets. I love working on jewelry and having everything right at hand and in easy to find locations.

A weird thought ran through my head yesterday, though, as I was standing at one of the cabinets. I was thinking, “What if Alex comes over some day and sees that I have two drawers full of her beads alone?! OMG, she’ll either think I’m hoarding and will never trade with me again or she’ll think I don’t want to use them and will never trade with me again. Eek!”

The good news, however, is that I have a FABULOUS necklace coming up (tonight, probably) of all Alex beads… heh… wanna sneak peak?



On Christmas, I laid out about four pieces on the coffee table and since then I’ve been making them, one after another. I have three necklaces done so far (aside from the one shown above).

I’m having a big sale on the website right now. Six pieces are already gone. Here are some that are left (wait until you see the prices… you won’t believe your eyes). Keep in mind, the Lampwork you see in our creations is never mass-produced imports. They are all fully annealed and cleaned, lovingly made glass art by people we know and trust.















If you read my Going Green Jewelry blog, sorry about the double posting.

Anyway, gotta run… have to get a dark jersey to Monica… three 3-on-3 games in San Jose today… in the 18A division… heh


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Finishing Up Old Projects and Clearing Out Inventory in a Most Fun Way

In an attempt to use up what I have before bringing in new stuff, I am going through my drawer (and it’s a big drawer) of WIP (aka Works in Progress). Y’know… things I started and for some reason never finished.

Some of them excite me: “Oh man, I forgot all about that… that is such a cool (fill in the blank). I can’t wait to finish it.”

While others are: “Wow, I have no motivation to finish that… wonder if I should give it away (speak up now if you wanna see the list of things I’m willing to give away) or if that would just be an embarrassment to my reputation.”

Anyway, there was one pair of earrings that are probably something along the lines of “only a mother could love”, but BEING that mother (as it were)… I do like them. :-) So I am trying to finish them (they needed a coating of polyurethane) and will list them. What the heck. Maybe there’s someone else out there with similar taste to mine.

I’ll show you them when I get a photo… right now still waiting for coat #1 to dry… ugh!

I’m having a big sale on the website right now. Six pieces are already gone. Here are some that are left (wait until you see the prices… you won’t believe your eyes). Keep in mind, the Lampwork you see in our creations is never mass-produced imports. They are all fully annealed and cleaned, lovingly made glass art by people we know and trust.

New Year's Resolutions

Resolutions

Hm… Truthfully, I’m not much into “holidays”, but I do like New Year’s. Not the exact moment of New Year’s… that whole kiss someone, make noise, watch the ball drop, etc. No, I just like the idea of “fresh starts”. I like that people find things they want to work on or change and then make a plan and really try to do it.

I don’t usually keep my resolutions, but it’s fun (not sure if that’s the right word) to at least try… to try for some change.

Apparently we aren’t all living precisely how we want to live or so many of us wouldn’t be making resolutions.

Some popular resolutions, according to recent national polls:
- Spend More Time with Family & Friends
- Lose Weight
- Tame the Bulge
- Quit Smoking
- Enjoy Life More
- Quit Drinking
- Get Out of Debt
- Save Money
- Reduce Stress
- Learn Something New
- Help Others
- Get Organized

A couple of those surprised me… Didn’t realize so many people felt a burning desire to learn something new. I wonder why they would choose that. Maybe some just like to know things, know about things, know how to do things, etc. And maybe others are bored and want to try something new and interesting to do.

I’m pleased to see “Help Others” is a biggie. How cool is that?

“Get Organized” makes sense. So many of us feel overwhelmed and I think simplifying and organizing our lives, our environments, our responsibilities, and our minds is really important to us.

I spent a significant amount of 2009 lightening the load… don’t have too many possessions right now and continuing to rid myself of… things.

I also want to lighten the mental load… want fewer responsibilities, fewer “undone” things, etc.

So, we have some starting points. Now… what is it that makes some people keep their resolutions while others give up? What are the ingredients to sticking with a self-promise? Are some people just not cut out to have will-power or is it more like some people know HOW to do it and others don’t have the tools?

First, I think it’s easy to feel ultra-confident about our plan to do or not do something… so long as that something is in the future. So long as we’re starting… on Monday… or at the New Year, etc.

I was at one of Monica’s hockey games earlier this year and I observed something. It is SOOOO easy to be a gracious sports parent when your child’s team is winning. But the parents of the losing children’s teams are often ugly, bitter, and nasty.

That got me thinking about rich people and poor people. It makes a lot of sense that poor people anger more easily (riots, violence, crime, etc).

I’m not saying rich is synonymous with happy and poor is synonymous with angry, but I think this is worth dwelling on as a concept.

The key, then, would be to learn how to be happy even if you are “poor”, or on the “losing team”, or whatever else misfortune you are facing at any given time.

How does this relate to New Year’s resolutions? Well… like I said, it’s easy to start a diet (mentally) when you’re sitting on the couch with a full belly ‘cause you just stuffed yourself with turkey, mashed potatoes, and pecan pie. Right then and there, you have 100% resolve and confidence in yourself. Wow, this is going to be easy. I feel fabulous about the diet I’m starting. I won’t fail at all.

Mmm… okay.

So then it’s the next day… and you’re hungry… and hungry makes you cranky… and cranky makes you lose your resolve because your whole attitude has changed.

So… what’s the key (in Laura’s mind) to sticking with your New Year’s resolutions? Stay happy. Ha ha ha!

I know easier said than done, but at least it’s a start.

Maybe the point, though, is that keeping your promise isn’t about the specific pain the promise puts you through (quitting smoking makes you feel jittery, eating less makes you feel weak, saving money makes you have to do without, etc), it’s about getting yourself into a place where the “pain and suffering” of your resolution won’t bring you down enough to make you quit.

Stay positive, somehow… any way you can. Positive/happy will help you get through the first rough patches of your resolution… then once you start seeing the benefits it will become easier and easier.

I think “planning” is a good strategy too. For example, I know that if I want to eat healthily then I’d better have some healthy choices of convenient food on hand… because more often than not I don’t have time to prepare a bunch of healthy meals. Yeah, once in a while I can make an elaborate meal, but with hockey Mon-Thurs evenings right after working a full day at the office… well, that means eating on the run.

And what do I do if there isn’t something healthy AND convenient to grab? I can tell myself that I’ll be fine, that I can do without until I get home, but the truth of the matter is that if I get hungry and there’s nothing healthy around me, I will eat something NOT healthy for my body.

So for me, preparation is a HUGE deal. Having healthy choices on-hand at all times.

Someone trying to quit smoking might make sure they don’t end up in a place filled with smokers. Think ahead.

Anyway… enough musing… what are my New Year’s goals? Well, I really like these few days between Christmas and New Year’s because it gives me a chance to formulate a plan.

Some of the things I’m thinking about are:
- Continuing to improve the health of my body (I recently went from high blood pressure to a reading of 106/62 with a pulse of 67).
- Continuing to streamline my life. I’ve been good this past year about ridding myself of possessions, but now I want to add to that. I want to learn to stop spending TIME doing things that take away from my focus.

Those are two pretty big promises so I think I’ll quit there.






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Girl Gets Suprise Visit, Etsy Stats Made Easy, Jennifer Umphress Glass Artist, Craft Cabinets, Foster Photos

WINTER BREAK

I think come June, we’re all going to be catching up on our sleep and rest.

This past week was the usual hockey practices, joined by some unusual and time-consuming homework assignments. Although the kids do their homework on their own (so they got way less sleep than I did), my help is often needed for some of the technical aspects (“Mom, how do you put this picture behind the other picture in Photoshop?”, “Mom, I can’t get the printer to work.”, etc.)

But it’s winter break now, so we are getting a little rest.


THE FOSTER KIDS

I’m going to call the SPCA today… Andy seems so lethargic. Not just compared with his sister, but more lethargic than when he first came here. I haven’t seen him playing in awhile. His sister, on the other hand, is a rambunctious crazy girl. Into EVERYTHING. Even on Bear… she’s going nuts playing with her own tail.





THE CABINETS

Got one of the new cabinets up last night. The instructions could use a little assistance, but I eventually got it done.


HOCKEY

Gabe’s in Riverside (southern California) this weekend, having some exhibition games with his team.

Monica has a game today, a community food drive tomorrow, then a goalie session after that.


ORDERS

Sending out three orders today, but waiting to hear on one of them what type of shipping the gal wants. It’s kinda close for Christmas so I’d hate for her not to get what she purchased last night in time for gift giving… but Express shipping ain’t cheap, either.


ILLNESS

Mon’s getting over (hopefully) some kind of cough. That seems to be her only symptom. I, on the other hand, seem to be just starting something… ugh… sore throat, malaise, cough… hitting up the Airborne and Vitamin C.


GLASS ARTIST

Wanna see an awesome glass artist? Check out Jennifer Umphress. If you don't already have Adobe Flash Player, it's worth the 20 seconds to download it. Way worth it.


ETSY STATS

Were you ever curious about some of your Etsy stats? Here’s a cool little site that gives you the DL on your admirers, etc.

Craft Cult’s Heart-o-Matic

Yeah, the first page is just who’s hearted you… easy enough to see on the Etsy site (if you don’t mind spirals). But look at the second tab… Instead of having to look up each item to see how many hearts (if any) one of your projects has, this is WAY cool. And that last tab, neato! See if/when you’re in any featured marketing pages on Etsy (btw, congrats if you are ‘cause I think for most it’s few and far between).

And yes, you can look up someone else’s number rather than your own if you like.


COMMENTS

Thanks for the comment Jenny! Do you have a blog or website?


Surprise Visit

This was cute. Did you see this? This fourth grade girl thinks she is about to give a school report on where her Dad is stationed in Iraq and is surprised when he shows up for her report.


Tricked On Halloween


Okay, gotta go… TTYL!

Beading Cabinets, Kitty Fosters, New Jewelry, The Mind and the Brain

Another Great Book

For Monica's Physiology class, she has to read a book and do a report over the winter break. I looked over what she selected, we went to Barnes and Noble together and got it, and wow… it's really cool! It's called The Mind and the Brain: Neuroplasticity and the Power of Mental Force by Jeffrey Schwartz and Sharon Begley.

I wasn't surprised at all to later learn that Schwartz's undergraduate major was philosophy, and that he has a keen interest in Buddhism.

So if you're at all interested in what potential power the mind has over the brain, do give this book a read.


Jewelry

Yep, I actually got some new things listed. One has already sold even. :-)









Why is it so hard for me to be motivated to drink water?!


The Fosters

Sometime in the wee hours of the morning, there was what felt like eight tiny paws scampering up and down the length of my bed (on top of me trying to sleep). It was short-lived, though, so no harm done.

The situation isn't amenable, however, to the fact that when I sit down at the computer, I'm generally getting up every 10 minutes or so to do something. The kitties sit on my lap and settle in. Then I feel guilty for having to get up, thus disturbing them.

They're clever little buggers, though. 'Cause I put them onto a nice soft blanket on the couch and then go do whatever it is I had to get up for. And when I come back to the computer two minutes later, there they are, sleeping soundly in my computer chair. Argh! They KNOW I can't go back to work without picking them up and most likely continuing to hold them. *snort*


Cabinets

Got some shelving cabinets today. It will probably take me several days to assemble them… ha! But I'm hoping they will help me organize and streamline my stuff. We have very little living space (which is fine), but it means things have to be in order.


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