Tuesday, December 28, 2010

CRAZY Christmas!! :-D

Well, the holiday season was a bit crazy for me this year! I was crocheting blankets for the kiddos this year, and Bugs turned out really, REALLY well!! I just had Monkeys to finish. I had an infection in my finger and had to go to the doctor for a follow up to see how it was progressing in the way of healing. Well, it wasn't healing as well as the doctor would have liked, so, he lanced it open! He pumped my finger full of local and... well I will spare you the grody details. I still felt it... it wasn't fun. He then covered it with gauze and more tube gauze, gave me a 'script for more antibiotics and some Vicodin. Oh LORD did I need the Vicodin about 2 hours after I got out of the doctors!! Ooooh man!! The local started wearing off and man oh MAN did my finger hurt!! I decided to take one. While I was on the Vicodin, I decided that the giant gauze thumb looked like Santa, and painted a red hat and smiley face on him. Of course, this put an end to my crocheting. :-( I didn't get to finish Monkeys blanket, but, I told him that I would finish it for him when I gave Bug her blanket. He was very understanding and  told me that he wanted my finger to get better before I started working on his blanket.

So.. I was doped up for most of Christmas, and it still hurts a bit to type, but I can't just keep taking Vicodin, so, I just suck it up! :-)

Anyways! I will try to get some pictures up today!

Monday, December 20, 2010

No Giveaway Monday... :-(

Sorry guys, no Giveaway links today. I've got an infected nail bed and it HUUUURTS! I seriously just want to cut it off... :-( (Okay, not REALLY, bit it does hurt really bad.)

I went to the doctor on Friday, and they gave me some antibiotics. Apparently they're not working because it's getting worse. :-(

Saturday, December 18, 2010

And a star is born!!

So, I'm going to do it! I'm going to start my own candle company! I don't know when opening day will be, but, I want to do it!
I've decided on Charwood Candle Company.
Now, all I need is the supplies, a label, and customers!! I already have quite a few people saying that they want to buy some. :-) Now all I really need to do is get everything in motion!!

If anyone knows of a way to get a  reasonably priced header for my shop, and label for my candles, please let me know. :-)

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Candles anyone?

So, I want your guys opinion. I'm thinking about starting to make candles and sell them in an Etsy shop. What do you guys think? I've dabbled in candle making for some time now, and it's something that I really like doing. It's fun, it's calming, and I love being able to just see my finished product and know that it's something that I did with my own hands and that someone will enjoy it! A couple of you have gotten my candles, what do you guys think? Think they're good enough to hold their own on Etsy?

If I do this, what do you think I should name my company? If you help me with the company name, I will send you a candle!

Next thing I would have to think about would be labels for my candles. I either need to find someone to create me a label for inexpensive, or figure out how to make my own. Any ideas??

It's like a democratic company start up!! LOL

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Monday, December 13, 2010

Not so fun Monday...

So, I'm not doing a giveaway today guys... I'm not in the giving mood this morning. :-/

Today, I'm going to ask you guys for advice. (Yeah, all 19 of you followers....) It's going to be a doozie as well.. sorry for the long post. :-/

So, since I "work" from home, Sam thinks that I do nothing, especially since I'm not making a ton of money right now. He thinks that because I'm not making money, that it's implied that I'm not working, so, therefore, I'm sitting around the house doing nothing all day, and that I should have to cook, clean the house, and basically do everything that doesn't involve taking out the trash, mowing the lawn, or general outside duties. Which, normally is okay.... sorta. Anybody that has known me longer than a few days knows that I HATE (read: abhor, loathe, would rather stab myself in the eye with a spork) doing dishes. I will do all the laundry, scrub the floors, clean the toilets, just about ANYTHING other than do the dishes! Since I cook, I don't think it would be too much to ask if the husband does the dishes.

Apparently, Sam thinks that I don't even do all the house work either, and that MAGICALLY the house is clean. This past week (I think it was either Wednesday or Thursday) I cleaned the entire kitchen. I wiped down all the counters, used the disinfecting solution, wiped down all the cabinets, did all the dishes, cleaned the dogs bowls, cleaned out the recycling bin, moved everything out of the kitchen and scrubbed the floor on my hands and knees with a double sided sponge. I REALLY cleaned the kitchen. By Sunday, we had no clean silverware, only a couple of dishes left (which is a pretty good feat considering we have THREE sets of dishes), and a few pots and pans. So, when we got home from church, I asked what everyone wanted for lunch and Sams idea was Egg Salad. I had no problem making egg salad, one big thing tho, we had no bread. When I asked Sam to go get bread he said "With what? We are broke until Wednesday!" I told him to dig out some change and just go get a loaf of bread. He started throwing a fit and I was very quickly losing what little bit of patients I have left. I can't tell you how many times I have asked him for help with the dishes. COUNTLESS times! It's the ONE chore that I hate! I would rather eat a giant pork chop with a side of ham than do dishes! (FYI I hate pork almost as much as dishes) So, when I said to him "Sam, I don't know how many times I've asked you to help me with the dishes! I just cleaned the entire kitchen, and look! We have NO silverware!" to which he responds "ONCE! You've cleaned it once!" O.O! Really?! That was the icing on the cake. I couldn't take it any more. I completely lost it.

I guess half assed doing the laundry (read: putting a load thru the washer and dryer and only folding HIS clothes), feeding the dogs half the time, half assed mowing the lawn (half of our back yard never got mowed before frosting over), half assed trimming the hedges (he trimmed them {again half assed} this spring), and asking Monkey to take out the trash, and sometimes loading the dishwasher half assed (read: I usually have to run at least part of the dishes again, or there are giant gaps or he's loaded it completely wrong and I have to reload it) means that he's entitled to sleep in on Saturdays until 1 or 2 in the afternoon, and then possibly a nap by 7. It also entitles him to not having to help any more than that. Apparently it also means that he does all of the housework, and that all I ever do is sit around and play on the internet, watch TV, and crochet!

Apparently he, in all of his infinite glory, can do all of that and then some! Not only can he magically wave a wand and the house is clean, but he can run my business better than I can, regardless of the fact that he is completely oblivious as to what it is that I do and of any of the products that I sell. Not only that, but he can do his Marine Corps job, be a better parent, AND cook better than I can! Basically, I'm just a turd ball that sits around and can't do anything and all I do is take up space. He may not have said all of these things, but he sure has implied them, and has made me feel like general crap. Someone once told me "nobody can make you feel any thing" which is true, but, with all of the emotional issues I've been having lately, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that I'm a bit fragile right now.

So, I'm asking you, my readers... do you think I over-reacted? Do you think it's too much to ask for some assistance on the ONE chore that I loathe more than anything? Tell me what you think!

Friday, December 10, 2010

Feature Friday - Sew Smashing

So, It's Friday again, and I found another FANTASTIC Etsy shop for you guys. I don't remember how I found her, but, I did, and when I found her, her products just drew me in! I KNEW I needed one! (Btw, I haven't ordered yet, but I will be hopefully soon!! :-P)

So here is my Feature Friday for 10December2010

Sew Smashing

This is why I'm IN LOVE (like head over heels) with Alexis' shop:
Yup!! That's the first piece that I saw and my jaw dropped!! I LOVE it!! I shall covet this piece until it is mine!
(I'm not sure who the model is... but I am a little bit jealous of her beautiful red hair!)
(I LOOOOOVE that orange!!!)
The butterflies aren't the only thing she has tho! Oh no! She has more!
Gorgeous purses:
BEAUTIFUL evening wraps:
Sweet wall hangings
Lovely scarves
And SO many more things!

Here is what Alexis has to say:

I'm Alexis Harper, a San Francisco Bay Area native, I own and operate "Sew Smashing." My Finnish husband and I live in a small house on two acres in the East Bay. While I should be outside battling weeds, I'd prefer to sit and sew in front of a window admiring the colors of nature...and ignoring the weeds!

I started my business 2 years ago, and mostly sell my items online in my Etsy shop. While I started out selling handbags, I had found a niche for my business by making silk origami butterflies. What began as a brooch design, available in a handful of colors, has now turned into every silk origami butterfly accessory imaginable in over 70 colors of silk!

I love custom requests because it allows me to meaningfully interact with my clients. I thoroughly enjoy making items that hold a special meaning to the customer. My most recent cherished moment was with a woman who asked me to make some silk origami butterfly hair clips. These hair clips were going to be worn by dancers who were going to perform a dance piece that the client had choreographed. The choreographed dance piece was an expression of the emotions she felt while dealing with thyroid cancer. Having my items be positively involved in someone's life, no matter how small, brings me a deep sense of fulfillment.

People can find me at www.sewsmashing.com or can contact me at alexis(at)sewsmashing.com

Please go visit her beautiful shop! Consider it your Christmas present to me! (Of course, buying one for me wouldn't be turned down either!) She has such beautiful products, and they are so unique, and not to mention beautiful! (Did I say that already?) 

Monday, December 6, 2010

Super Monday!! WOOO!

So, okay Friday I told you about my Etsy find (Looking for more now as well!!) So, today I'm going to post more giveaways around the bloggy world!!

The first giveaway is for a free baby sling!! All you need to do is go here, pick your sling, enter the promo code "Thanksgiving" and pay shipping! (which is $10!)

These next giveaways are from one of my favorite sites Dandy Giveaway. Someday I want to be able to have giveaways like they do!!

Organic kids clothing giveaway here
The Boy Store here (I could seriously use this!!)
Picaboo photobook here

These next ones are not from Dandy Giveaway, but, they are great blogs as well!

Chic womens clothing $25 giveaway here

This one isn't really a giveaway per-say, but, you could earn a $25 Amazon gift card when you refer 15 people. So, click here to sign up for that gift card! Help me, help you!

Friday, December 3, 2010

Feature Friday - Abby Cove

So, I told you all that I was working on something! Well, here it is! I was working on my very first FEATURE FRIDAY! YAY!!!


How this is going to work is, I'm going to find sellers on Etsy and Artfire that I REALLY like! Eventually maybe even get a few giveaways going. I'm not near big enough yet to have giveaways, but maybe once I reach 100 or so followers, I can think about looking for some giveaway stuffs. 


So anyways!! Here is my Feature Friday for today 03December2010!


Abby Cove on Etsy 


This is the reason that I chose Chantal for todays feature: 






SO many cute hats!!! SO many sizes!! AHH!! Here's it what Chantal has to say about her shop:

Hi! I'm Chantal with Abby Cove. I have been crafting ever since I can remember and it is one of my favorite things to do. I learned how to crochet when I was 12 from an elderly neighbor. She taught me the basics and I took off from there. I love projects for kids and projects that are somewhat quick to complete as I usually get an idea for another project before the current one is completed! I hope you enjoy what I love to make. My shop carries mostly handmade hats for infants to adults but check back in regularly as I have tons of new projects coming soon!

For your readers I have a special coupon code that will get them 10% off their order. Simply use the coupon code LIFEATW2010 at check out for this discount. Offer good through December 31, 2010.

That's right folks!! She's giving you guys a 10% discount just for being my readers!  How awesome is that! :-D Seriously! Check out her shop. She has some adorable hats for kids AND for adults! She also has headbands and wraps as well as scarfs, hair clips and even facial scrubbers! So cute!