Twenty Things Thursday

1. Went to a fashion show on Sunday – won three things including the grand prize which was a Chocolate Pearl Necklace with matching bracelet from Allison Love’s Jewelry valued at $300.
2. Asa was Terrific Kid at School for Month of April – had ceremony yesterday.
3. Seeing my wonderful family on Wednesday for another family dinner and a walk in the park.
4. Got the cookbook Hungry-Girl 200 under 200 and have been using it all week!
5. Lost 3 pounds!
6. Read about this cool Twenty Things Thursday on my swap partners blog. Thanks Janna!
7. Sold a necklace to my awesome swap partner Janna!
8. Discovered a new snack which I love – Laughing Cow Light Swiss cheese with pretzels for dipping….YUM!
9. Finally had some time to make some new jewelry pieces.
10. Climbed a GIANT hill at the park yesterday with my whole family and my dog.
11. Eating under 1000 calories three days in a row
12. Talked with my son’s teacher this morning – she told me “He is so far ahead” – really makes you proud, and this was his Gifted and Talented teacher!
13. Enjoying watching my little girl learn to walk on her hands and do hand stands – I remember doing the same thing and doing cartwheels for days in my yard.
14. Skating in the driveway with my kids – LOVE IT!
15. We have some little tomatoes growing in our back yard….this is our first garden. It is a small one just to see if we can do it. If not my Dad has a HUGE one so we will be ok!
16. Got to see both Ms. Hanson’s on Sunday – love them!
17. This is pretty hard thinking of 20 things!
18. Happy that tomorrow is Friday!
19. Found out that I really like Tofu Noodles and they have no calories.
20. Tried Soy Milk – not sure how I like it, its very different. I’m a Whole Milk kind of Gal

Wordless Wednesday 4-29-09

♥ Special Mother's Day Sale ♥

Hungry-Girl

Ok, so it is official. I am a Hungry-Girl. I saw this cookbook on my swap partner Janna’s blog. You can check her out at http://happinessisajourneyforjanna.blogspot.com. I immediately went out on Saturday and got this cookbook, looked through it, planned my meals for the week, and made my grocery list. I like this book because there are some really good recipes in there and it’s all stuff I can make for my whole family. I don’t have to cook two separate meals. So just to give an update I have tried 3 of the recipes and I really liked them all. This feels like something I can maintain. Here is a little about the recipes I tried:

•Spinach, Tomato, Feta n’ Egg Wrap Attack – now I did not actually put the tomatoes in there so it was just the egg, spinach, and feta with the wrap. My hubby and I had it for lunch yesterday. It was very good and actually filling. Calories - 168

•So Low Mein with Chicken – Ok this was fantastic. The whole family loved it. I was quite surprised because the noodles are tofu noodles. They were great. My daughter confessed that she loved them. It felt like a light dinner but at the same time it was filling and it only had 167 calories!

•Cinnamon Vanilla French Toast Nuggets – now this was interesting. These are made with hotdog buns. I have to say they were also pretty good. Makes me excited that I can still eat some of the things that I love. This is a very simple recipe. Calories – 151

So you should all take a look at this cookbook. They have teamed up with Weight Watchers and you can find the points for all the recipes online. Honestly I think it is amazing how low-cal these are!

Blog Feature - Say Your Piece

This weeks blog feature is for Eileen at SayYourPiece. She creates Custom Ceramic Gifts on Etsy! She says, "Have your say at Say Your Piece! Here you'll find affordable handpainted & kiln-fired ceramic pieces that express the sentiment that YOU choose." I really love this adorable teardrop Missing you dish. What a great item to send to someone you are missing.

Tell me a little about yourself, your store and what you sell.

I am first and foremost a mom to my (eek!) sixteen year-old daughter and wife to my husband of (omg!) twenty-five years. I have two Etsy stores (okay, one is MUCH more active than the other!). At SayYourPieceToo, I offer whimsical hand-painted bisque plates and tiles for special occasions. At SayYourPiece, I sell hand-built ceramic pieces of many different designs; all of which can be customized/personalized to make them that much more special for each of my clients.

How long have you been making the craft/art that you sell? What started your interest in it? How did you learn? / What made you decide to turn your art/craft into a business? What support or inspiration have you had along the way?

I’ve been working in ceramics in various forms for about six years now. It began when I first saw a ceramic piece bearing the imprint of the hands and feet of my good friend’s little one. I just fell in love and SO wished that I had been able to have one made for my little girl. By that time, though, my daughter was already well past babyhood. My heart actually ached at the idea that I’d missed out, and the idea slowly grew that I would start a small business making sure that other moms didn’t have to feel the way I did! Because I was totally committed to being home to raise my one and only, it seemed the perfect idea. That was the beginning of Clayful Moments (http://www.clayfulmoments.com) and “KidPrint Keepsakes”, which is a business that still exists today, and has expanded to include several other activities.In ceramics, one learns by doing… and wrecking a lot of clay! I started with the KidPrint Keepsakes, moved on to pouring my own pieces from slip, then worked on improving my hand-painting technique, and finally got into hand-building the small pieces that I sell on Say Your Piece!. The inspiration for most of what I do comes from my deeply held belief that family and commitment are the most important things in life. Anything that celebrates the special times in our lives, the dedication that we have to one another, and the absolute blessing that is our children is inspiration for me. Fortunately, I find that so many Etsy clients feel the same way, and so are enthusiastic about and supportive of my work. It is, truly, very validating and very gratifying.

Do you have any other hobbies / interests?

Outside of my family and my work, my greatest enjoyment comes from watching my daughter play sports. She is a wonderful girl, a great student (okay, she gets all A’s, but I have nag her A LOT!), an exceptional shortstop and a MONSTER defensive basketball player. Her father and I soak up every second of her play that we can.My other new hobby is following blogs! Until Etsy, I had no idea that there were so many creative and talented people out there with their own blogs. I marvel at people who have so much to say and who take the time to say it! I especially love food-related blogs like Sunday Baker (http://comeandpeek.blogspot.com/) and another by one of my fabulous clients called The Cutting Edge of Ordinary (http://thecuttingedgeofordinary.blogspot.com/). Of course, MrsFatFace has been added to the list very recently!

How long have you been selling on Etsy? Do you sell full or part time?
I signed up at Etsy back in April of 2008, but really didn’t nurture it because I was in the middle of a very large preschool project with Clayful Moments. I really got going in July, and so now have been working at it for about eight months. Hard to say if I do it full time or part time… sometimes it seems very part-time, other times it seems that there isn’t enough time in a day!

Do you sell outside of Etsy? If so where?
I maintain a website for my hand-built and hand-painted pieces (http://www.say-your-piece.com), but have recently streamlined and linked everything over to Etsy. I’m considering other venues, and if I can find one that markets itself well, I will certainly pursue it.

What is your favorite way to promote your Etsy store?
Honestly, this is probably my biggest area of weakness. I’m happy for opportunities such as this… blog features have been very helpful. I do spend time in the Etsy forums, usually though the motive is to learn something new or get a specific question answered. I must say that I have been extremely fortunate that many of my clients who have happened across my work on Etsy have become almost regulars. The fact that they can get gifts that are tailored to their friends and family, and that these gifts can’t really be found anywhere else seems to bring them back again and again. I do hope that this is something that continues and grows over time.

Do you have a blog? If so what is your blog address, and what do you feature / write about?


I do not blog. Because it seems that EVERYBODY else does, I have considered it, but I simply can’t figure out how I could keep one going for more than a week! I have plenty to say, but most of it isn’t related to my work. The danger for me would be lapsing into political discourse and I’m a firm believer that politics and business should not be mixed (witness Washington DC!).

What is the thing that you are most proud of?
Not surprisingly, I am most proud of raising a lovely girl and nurturing a marriage that has provided my daughter with an understanding of the importance of family and a strong sense of security. Having two parents who model and consistently verbalize their commitment to doing whatever is right for the family will be invaluable to our daughter as she embarks on her life. Making sure that she is educated, healthy, happy, well-balanced and a good human being is everything to both of us.

What do you wish you had more time for?
I don’t think there’s a mother out there that doesn’t wish for more “down time” with her family. Unfortunately, it’s not my activities that create the time crunch; if it were, I’d just rearrange my schedule! Between my husband’s work and my daughter’s school, sports and friends, the time just doesn’t exist. So we do the best that we can with the time that we have.


What is your favorite part of the day?
It’s a toss up between the end of the day when we are all finally home together, and the time during the day when everyone is gone and I can fulfill orders or create new pieces. Playing with clay can be exceptionally therapeutic…. hence the popularity of Play Doh!

Check her out at www.sayyourpiece@etsy.com and tell her Mrsfatface sent ya!

Wordless Wednesday 4-22-09

Mamarazzi's Favorite Things Swap 2

Alright, Mamarazzi is having another Favorite Things Swap. I participated in her last one and it was a blast. Hurry on over to her site to sign up before all the spots are taken. I really loved receiving my little surprises in the mail.

http://www.ourdandelionwishes.com/

Easter 2009

Can not believe Easter is done and over with! This was not a traditional Easter for us this year. We had lots going on, but the Easter Bunny did come visit and the kids had an Easter Egg hunt which was really fun. My darling Mother-in-law and Father-in-law came down for dinner and cooked Steak Diane and baked potatoes for us, which was very YUMMY! My Mom made me a Lemon Meringue Pie and gave it to me for Easter. Lemon Meringue Pie is my favorite, my grandmother makes it for me and I just love it. So I shared my pie with everyone and managed to eat 2 pieces myself.

Wordless Wednesday - 4/15/09

Origami Jewelry - Paper Displays of Affection

Paper Affection was started on Etsy by Suanne. She is a super talented origami artist. I love her many different creations. She makes earrings, necklaces, ornaments, hair pins all using her paper creations. Suanne was kind enough to answer a couple questions about her craft and how she got started on Etsy.

Tell me a little about yourself, your store and what you sell.
I'm Suanne and I love origami! I'm 22 and I just started my real life job in the big city. I'm an origami artist and I try to make it more practical and sell origami jewelry, hair pins, and ornaments.

How long have you been making the craft/art that you sell? What started your interest in it? How did you learn?
It’s been about 13 years now since that fourth grade class where I made my first crane. I first got into origami because I had this problem with sitting still when I was a kid. I discovered that folding paper helped me concentrate in class while I took notes. This was especially true in college and long lectures and I honestly believe I did better in class when I was folding! I'm mostly self-taught, but I love me a big advanced origami book!

What made you decide to turn your art/craft into a business? What support or inspiration have you had along the way?
As I made more and more origami, I realized that if there wasn't a real use for my models, and they'd all go to waste - and I couldn't let that happen! So I set out to make my origami functional - jewelry was my first thought, and I'm exploring other mediums. After I sold a few pairs on DeviantArt, I realized my idea was good enough to have my own store. Other DeviantArtists have been supportive, especially my friend Mel, who owns sugarposse.etsy.com.

Do you have any other hobbies / interests?
Real Estate (is that weird? That's my day job) I also love photography, New York City, drawing, sculpting, and summer. :) And hugs. I love hugs.

How long have you been selling on Etsy? Do you sell outside of Etsy? If so where?
DeviantArt if people don't want to sign up for Etsy, but thats about it.


What is your favorite way to promote your Etsy store?
Blogs :) I'm in the forums a ton too!


Do you have a blog? If so what is your blog address, and what do you feature / write about?
DeviantArt is kinda like a blog, but more an online portfolio. http://www.pandacub143.deviantart.com/

Where do you hope to see your business / Etsy store in the future?

I'd like to just keep crafting. Some day I'd love to do a craft show and show off what I can do, maybe have a celebrity wear something hehe. But I craft to make myself happy. No big dreams here :)

What is something that you want to make SURE you do in 2009?

Not get fired from the day job. :)

What is the thing that you are most proud of?

After 5 months meeting my sales goal that I made for 1 year. I'm doing way better than I thought I ever could!

What do you wish you had more time for?

Crafting

What is your favorite part of the day?

My favorite is Saturday mornings, when I get to photograph what I made that week - all my hard work goes into a pretty picture for everyone to see and I love choosing angles and playing with colors!

Oxidized Beauties

Scored a treasury on Treasury West. I am in love with oxidized sterling silver. I love the way it makes the gemstones POP. The oxidized silver really electrifies colors.

You can check it out here... http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=48906