My Etsy Trades for Baby Things

Etsy is such a great place to shop or sell handcrafted items. I have two grandchildren who will be born sometime in September. My son and his fiance are expecting around the 15th of September and my husband's daughter and her fiance are expecting around the same time. It has gotten to be kind of comical because it appears that the race is on between the two families now.

Each week, as the girls go to their doctor appointments, I get a new report of how they are each progressing. Recently, both doctor's have figured they are both further along than realized therefore, the due dates have changed frequently. Unfortunately, since these will be our first grandchildren....it's become a bit of rivalry for being the first. The good news is: my son is having a boy, my stepdaughter is having a girl...so at least, we'll have one of each. Maybe if we're lucky they'll both go into labor at the same time and they'll have the same birthday.

Anyway, I've been doing some shopping for baby items that I want to buy for my new grandchildren and I've been doing it on Etsy. Yesterday, I posted in the forum asking for baby items that I might be able to trade for. I got several responses and I've made a few choice trades. I traded a beautiful rose quartz necklace for a lovely rag quilt and I've also traded two ankle bracelets for two chenille bibs with little fishies on it.

I'm going to leave you with both of their shops on Etsy. The quilt was from:Susan's Treasures and the bibs are from: Our Kid's Boutique . I want to say Thank You to both of you for making this such a wonderful transaction.

Jewelry Design Station

So this is where I spend alot of my time each day, working on the computer. I try to spend a few hours each day on answering email, listing jewelry, editing photography, promoting my jewelry designs and my Etsy Shop, writing in my blog and keeping up with current events. Between the computer and designing my jewelry, I keep pretty busy each day. I generally am up pretty late each night as well, due to the fibromyalgia...I don't sleep very well and when I do it's only for a few hours because of the pain.

Designing jewelry has literally given me a reason to get up in the morning. I was always very active in my life before I fell in 1999 and injured my low back, then I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and COPD in 2002. My life changed very dramatically then as I became less able to get around or do the things that I loved to do. When I decided to start doing jewelry again, I felt like my mind was coming alive again, I became creative again and I was thrilled to be learning new techniques. Now I try to learn a new technique at least once a week. I really enjoy some of the bead magazine that teach you how to do different techniques.

My workspace is very nice as you can see in the picture up above on the left. My husband built my work table. I decided I didn't want a table that I had to sit at all the time...I wanted something that would be comfortable for me to stand at when I needed to be up and moving...this table stands about 37" high and the table top is 66" x 34". I have several storage boxes with drawers stacked towards the back wall of the table and underneath the table there are two shelves on each side with storages boxes as well. I also have a closet with two sets of rolling drawers stacked about 4 1/2' high full of beads and supplies.

All my cameral equipment, lighting, jewelry displays and props can be stored underneath the table. All my jewelry design books, magazines and my photo portfolio of my designs sit on top of my two filing cabinets where they are easily accessible for reference when needed. As well as keeping a portfolio of all my jewelry that I design, I also keep a catalog of each piece and what exactly went into it and what it cost me to design so I know exactly what I have invested in each piece. It also helps me so I don't duplicate my designs by mistake as each one is one of a kind.

As you can see, I'm very serious about what I'm doing and very conscientious about it. I try to be professional yet enjoy what I'm doing. I really love my little workshop and that's important to me as I spend most of my days in this room.

Bracelet Forest Wonderland

This is such a beautiful bracelet. The focal lampwork bead is by: Sun Daisy Gems. She makes lovely beads. This one in particular has a luminous glow to it. The colors are so clear and true. I added a dark green cat's eye beads to bring out the greens in the focal bead. Sterling silver bali curved beads, barrel beads, spacers, a lobster clasp and sterling extension chain for adjustability. You'll find this wonderful bracelet in my Etsy shop.

Well, the 4th has come and gone, and so my birthday as well. The holiday was a huge success at my daughter's home. Lots of family and friends, terrific food, lots of fun, great music and entertainment. The weather started out a little rainy but only for an hour, then it rained itself out for the rest of the day. Bright sunshine and clear skies. My daughter, Nellie and her boyfriend were the perfect hostess and host. A good time was had by all...

On Friday, my birthday, Nellie took me out for a late lunch at Red Lobster. It's been a long time since I've eaten at Red Lobster but they only get better each time I go. I had the lobster and shrimp linguini alfredo, a caesar salad and of course, their wonderful cheese garlic biscuits. I tried a new beverage that was tea and cranberry which was delicious. (No sugar added) We had a wonderful time chatting, catching up on the past couple of days since the party. She brought me a beautiful birthday present - which I will keep a secret for right now until I can photograph it and show you. It will be worth the wait, I assure you!

My husband's been in Wisconsin/Minnesota for a few days now...we have decided to move back to the northcountry again. We are from Minnesota originally and miss the lakes and trees and the change of seasons. Living in Florida is nice but we are both tired of the heat, the heat, and the heat....and the weather in general which is usually hot and humid. Anyway, he's looking for a house for us to buy and also has a big job interview with Miracle Ear Inc selling hearing aids. It's a great opportunity and my husband loves working with the elderly and he's a great salesman.

My son and his fiance are expecting and their son is due Sept 30 of this year so we want to be home in Minnesota for the birth. This way we'll be able to play grandma and grandpa to our new grandson. We also have a granddaughter who will be born in October this year. We've been anxiously awaiting grandchildren for some time now and we finally get our wish. I will continue to update any information we get on both pregnancies.

Great Hair Day!

Got my hair done today...needed it badly...starting to look like a shaggy dog. I love my hair short, it's cooler, easier to take care of and you don't have to spend all that time trying to figure out what to do with it. With my busy lifestyle I need something simple, something I can wash and go...! I always feel so much better when I get a fresh haircut....absolutely love the scalp massage! Katie, my hairdresser...gives the best scalp massages I've ever had...and she rubs hard and fast...then does the massage afterwards...makes you want to just go to sleep in her chair. Did some shopping at K-Mart today also...got a great surprise...I picked out a pair of capris marked $19.99....got to the checkout and found out they were marked down to $11.99. I hardly ever have that happen to me. Usually it's the other way around...I find something on sale and then I get up to the checkout and find out the tags been switched...or it doesn't fit or come in my size. So today was a good day all around. Made a nice little sale last night too. That always makes me smile. I love having my new shop at Etsy.com. They are all so supportive and helpful...I must ask lots of questions every day and I read the forums too. I can't believe all the information that is out there for someone just starting out. I was having trouble figuring out how to set up this blog the other day so I just asked a question about it at Etsy and several people jumped right in and started mentoring me. How great is that?! I have to share my experience with consignment shops. For a few months I had a booth in a small shop, downtown Melbourne and I have to say...it was not a very good experience. After a few months of paying rent to the shop owners for my booth space, I was in the hole financially..the first couple of months I made just enough to pay the rent but didn't even cover the material in the pieces I sold. As time went on, I noticed that the shop always had it's front door open and being in Florida, it gets humid alot. My beautiful sterling silver was starting to turn badly from the moisture in the air all the time. I tried to come in and clean it as often as I could but it got to a point where I couldn't keep up with the high humidity. I actually lost a few pieces they got so bad! The other thing I didn't like was when I came in to the shop originally, they told me I would be accepted because I was the only one that had sterling silver and my pieces were more high end...more fine jewelry, rather than costume. Two months later they surprised me with someone right next to my booth coming in with sterling silve, Swarovski crystals, pearls, etc. The only real difference was that she donated a portion of her stuff to Breast Cancer. When I asked about this, they just said," Oh, she was going to come in before you, but she had to delay due to health problems." Who does business like this, anyway? Needless to say, I think the only one making any money in this shop is the shop owner....who also happens to have their own artwork all over the store...and that seems to be the only artwork they seem to promote when someone comes in...they don't even get off their butt to help sell your stuff when they see someone looking at it or asking questions about it. Overall the experience was beneficial to the degree that I did learn from it...and hopefully won't make those mistakes twice. I'm much happier at Etsy and I feel confident that things will start happening for me there.

Cashmere? Do You Love It?

You have to check this place out, Cashmere Connoisseur Blog. Have you ever wondered how to take a sweater or an afghan apart so you can use the yarn again? Full instructions on how to do so are available at this blog. You can also purchase her animal that she makes out of recycled cashmere. These are really adorable teddy bears, not your standard stuffed animals that you'd find at Walmart or Toy R Us. These are animals that you'll want to keep as "keepsakes" and pass them on to generations. You can check out her etsy store at Cashmere Creations. I have two grandchildren being born in September and October, this year so I know that I'm going to be shopping there shortly. I'm going to be busy crocheting each of them an afghan (from Nanny) and since I don't know how to do the animals....these will be perfect! These are my first two grandchildren, boy and a girl, which I have been waiting for for a long time....so I'm going to be doing quite a bit of spoiling for a while...I have lots of catching up with my two older sisters. Of course, the little girl will be getting handmade jewelry by Nanny as well. Stay tune for some of my baby bracelets ideas. I'm also working on a charm bracelet for my step daughter that has to do with having a baby. I found some really cute polymer clay beads on eBay of little babies wrapped in blankets which will be the focal point of the bracelet. I've been collecting some silver baby charms to add to the mix. I will be posting a photo of it here soon so keep an eye out for it. Don't forget to check out Cashmere Connoisseur for the really special teddy bears. Goodnight!

Birthdays...my daughter's

Monday, June 25, 2007...Nellie's turned 28 year old. When I was 28, I went through a major life change...all my dreams, my hopes, my aspirations, my ideals changed and grew into something spiritual and beautiful. Life was a struggle but it all seemed at the time to be worth it...and it was in the end. I wanted this gift for her to be important and momentous. Something that would express who she was and where she is going. These colors are her favorites; they remind her of the ocean, the seashell, dolphins, laying in the sun, spending time with her friends. The design is something new for her, more elegant and expensive than she normally wears. She's changing her taste in style, growing into a lovely woman with maturity as she leaves her little girl ways behind. It's been wonderful watching her grow this past year and it makes me proud to call her daughter.