Love, Yesterdays

Valentine's Day Wishes

2012-02-14T08:39:00.004-05:00

To my friends who celebrate Valentine's Day :)

Monday Mood Board

2012-02-13T13:05:00.002-05:00

What's the mood today? I know it is supposed to be love love and valentines. I don't celebrate valentines day. In fact, when I was single, I hosted anti-valentines day parties. Hate the day.

So what is the mood for today? Confusion. Indecision. Wandering. To sum it all up:

Around The Corner.

Stepping Back Around The Corner by shashamane

You see, I have been toying with the idea of going back to school to get my doctorate. I earned my bachelor's degree in Psychology with a concentration in neuroscience in the late 1990's. I had to retire from school and enter the work force as my children were very young and we were alone. Gotta work to pay the bills.

Around the Corner by stephmel

I always thought I would go back to school to get my doctorate when the kids got older. Well, one of them is graduation high school this year and I am starting to hear that neuropsychology degree calling my name (as well as the student loan grinding to a screeching "Pay-Me-Back-Now", which I cannot do on my current salary. However, I have a dilemma.

Around The Corner by GlassiqueCreations

I am unfortunate enough to live in an area of New York State that is economically depressed. Unfortunate for me as I am living here against my will...hubby won't move. In turn, there is only 4 neuropsychology positions where I live and I can assure you, all of them are taken and are not going to be opening up any time soon. So, to follow my dream will render me a degree which I cannot use and don't bother telling me to tell my husband to move. He won't....I've been down that road already. So now I am faced with the decision of what I can turn my bachelor's into without adding on too much extra school.

I will just have to wait to see what pans out....around the corner.

Don't worry, I don't plan on ditching Love, Yesterdays. However, I do admit that this little dilemma is putting a damper on my creativity. Every piece of jewelry I try to create lately turns into an epic fail. I have been, in turn, knitting my fool fingers off....socks, scarves, hats, cup sweaters! Just sent some socks to my Mother this morning....but they are not related to my business, so I have to get back to work! I was hoping that re-vamping the studio would help with the creative road block. I feel like I have reached a fork in the road and don't know which way to turn.

So now the question to end the mood board:

What do you do to beat that creative roadblock?

Studio Space.

2012-02-10T12:20:00.000-05:00

Studio View from the hallway

Finally finished! Whew! I had so much crap crammed in the studio that simply had to get weeded out: stuff for the garbage, my personal crafting stuff that was being stored in the studio, etc. The closet was crammed with boxes and bags of stuff, stuff, stuff!

Since I never really got around to creating an official office space, I thought now is the time to do so. So, after all those boxes left the closet, I made a desk top lined with felt on the bottom to place on my antique sewing machine table...added some shipping storage and a halogen light and WALA...an office!!! No more kitchen table for me!


Office area in closet.


Close-up of office area so you can see that gorgeous sewing machine table!

Closer view of the "office". I have been using it for several days now...what a difference! Everything is right where I need it and although it looks a little cheesy, it really is more functional than my lap or a table!

There, you have seen the north wall where the magic happens and the east wall where the admin stuff happens. Now.....the west wall:

The west wall keeps my bookshelf full of crafting books for inspiration and a couple antique and vintage sewing baskets full of supplies. The bed? Yea. If you have been following my blog, you know that this is where I come to retire when the dog's gastrointestinal system is in an uproar. I simply cannot sleep in my bedroom with him...I don't know how hubby can stand it!

The history of the room:
The room was originally designed as a 1930's 1940's guest room. The south wall holds a bookshelf loaded with books and curios from that era (forgot to photograph it!). When my business began, the spare bedroom sort of doubled as the studio, but I simply could not tear down all the hard work I put into the room, plus I still needed room for when family comes to visit! The quilt is an antique dresden plate quilt top that my mother picked up at an antique shop in which I backed, bound and hand quilted. The yellow pillows on the bed are modern pillows cases with antique crocheted filet lace from the turn of the century which I have stitched on (same antique shop). The little throw pillow is left over uphulstry from the head board I created (in art deco style) with several antique doilies embroidered on the top. The original spare room sported my antique sewing machine table in the north west corner with the original head, belt and all. It also featured a small curio cabinet chock full and spilling over curios of the time (including a 1939 Worlds Fair music box!) and with antique textiles. I even had an art deco dresser (that I grew up using!) in which guests can use to hold their clothes while visiting as well as an antique rocker. Those have been removed, needless to say, and the antique dresser currently houses my calico fabrics!

Thanks for visiting my studio!

Prohibition. my latest treasury

2012-02-09T13:45:00.001-05:00

Finishing the Studio and a Giveaway!

2012-02-09T08:19:00.003-05:00

The studio is finally done! Whew! I am taking photos tomorrow and will post them shortly thereafter. What a lot of work that was! Still waiting for it to get brighter here...the sun isn't up high enough in the sky yet.

In the mean time, stop by the Blogging Business Artisan's blog for a giveaway. Lots of cool things to try for! Gotta hurry before you forget, though, the giveaway ends February 21, 2012 at 11am central.

If you are a beader, be sure to stop by Copper Diem's blog for 3 pounds of beads. Yes, I said 3 pounds! Cool huh? Hurry....contest ends Valentine's Day!

Geesh...all these giveaways...makes me want to have one, too!

Now, shoot off to those blogs and enter!

Creative Spaces: UFO

2012-02-03T12:22:00.000-05:00


The UFO Box

My studio is almost finished! Finally! One thing that did come of it is the UFO Box: Un-Finished-Object Box. I had this ugly 1970's plastic sewing box kicking around which I promptly stuffed UFO's into as I reorganized the studio last week. Wanna take a peek at what is inside?


Log Cabin Quilted Pillow Top

Started in late 2009, it was being created to sit atop the seat of a gorgeous German Black Forest carved rocker left to me by my uncle who had just passed in November of that year. Growing up, my grandmother had a rocker sitting next to her fireplace with a log cabin pillow thrown on it. I did inherit her patterns when she passed in the 90's and ironically, this quilted top was made using her log cabin pillow pattern! It is finished, it just needs to have a backing added and stuffed with a pillow. Lazy.

* * * * *


Knitted Pillow Top

Next up is a pillow top I knitted on straight needles using three coordinating chenille yarns spun together and employing a soft shaping technique. This was made to sit under my hinder when my office was at the kitchen table. Mission style kitchen chairs are not conducive to sitting for long periods of time! The top and back is knitted, they just need to be sewn together and stuffed with a round pillow form. Again...Lazy.

* * * * *


Knitted Lace Section

Moving from pillows to bedspreads, I found a great pattern for piecework fabrics with appliqued knitted lace swatches designed by Erika Knight, one of my favorite knitting designers and one of the few who actually taught me how to knit, well, not directly, but through a book! I wish, right? Anyway, this is the only section I have completed. Began in November 2011, so that's not too bad!

* * * * *


Crazy Quilt Panel for Laptop Bag

Moving on to accessories, I began a crazy quilted top as a panel for a laptop bag for my very first laptop. Are you ready? 2006. Sad. I am actually not quite finished with it...I still have some embroidery I want to do on it yet. It has all my favorite things...art, the ocean, bonsai, pansy's, traditional Victorian embroidery, Christianity, and even a tribute to WWII. Go figure, right? This will probably never get finished as I keep thinking of things to add to it :)

* * * * *


Quilted Panel for Bible Cover

Now, this one is embarrassing! 2008! Wow! I mean early in the year, too! It is finished, it just needs to be constructed into the bible case. I was using a mini tote-bag style purse pattern and was going to use it to slip my bible in and out, not have it actually zip open. Besides, I can't read and write with it in a zippered open bible case. I know, quirky. Now, where did I put that confounded pattern?

* * * * *


Embroidered Make Up Bean Bags

Since Mr. Mike is always mad at me for something or another, I made these little bags which I was to sew together and stuff with pellets and batting so that I could toss them at him when he is mad at me to break his bad mood. Hmmmm....didn't get past the embroidery. I wonder if its because I was afraid I would throw them so hard they would actually hurt! Ha! No, I was just worried having little blue with hideous orange lettering bags thrown at him would only serve to make matters worse! Epic fail!

* * * * *

Migraine Bags

Migraine bags were supposed to be my answer to ugly cold packs on my eyes and the back of my neck, and also serving as an answer to "What's wrong with you?" Less painful than actually saying, "I have a migraine, dummy! Why else would I have ice on my head {insert expletive here}!!"


Migraine Bag

I don't need them anymore as I finally got around to getting them treated (chiropractic care and a sinus regiment), so there they sit....in the UFO box since 2009. Poor babies.

* * * * *

Finally, we have a cute little watermelon fabric postcard. I actually made this when I faced a rash of babysitting stints for my stepdaughter in 2008 (when everyone didn't call my business "work", they called it "hobby". Now when I go in my office/studio, I announce "Okay, I'm going to hobby now. You know where to find me." Ha! No excuse why it has been sitting around in this state since 2008. Guess I just don't have anyone to mail it to. Maybe I will finish it and mail it to a winner in a contest!!! Heck, if you stuck around this long, you deserve to have a say!

What do you think?

The Stories...

2012-02-02T18:06:00.000-05:00

Next week I will share pictures of the new studio. I have spent pretty much most of January building and office and streamlining the studio. More on that next week.

In the mean time, the stories I promised in my last post (trying to keep this brief)!

In my previous work life, I was a financial counselor, and one of the best in the company I worked for. I had one of the highest success rates in the company! However, management was something to be desired. Short story, I quit, they begged me to stay, I continued to quit and legalized my business full-time. I found Etsy.com the last week of December 2007...just the perfect venue! In coming up with a business name, I had no idea where to start. I grabbed the dictionary and beginning at "A" started reading the words. I came across "Alterity", and my shop was born.

I hit a little problem, though. People couldn't pronounce it, let alone remember it. So I waited very patiently...like 3 years patient....for Etsy to allow us to change our names. I knew just the name I was going to change it to: Timeless Buttons. Perfect! I checked, the name was available, then built a website complete with domain. Everything was going along smoothly until the day came to make the change. Someone already took it. I was so mad! So I used the first name I could think of: Glamour Buttons.

I hated it. All the months my shop was in it's name transition I hated it! Then I thought: Wouldn't it be cool if I could sign all my jewelry 'love, yesterday'. Sure enough, Love Yesterday is a vintage shop in England. Thankfully, it's variant was available. So, I converted my shop to Love, Yesterdays, I opened another shop on Etsy as LoveYesterdays where I plan to keep button gifts in the coming year, then purchased the domain name, and Love, Yesterdays was finally morphed!

Much better than Alterity, huh? Now you know why I changed the name :) And it only took me a little over 4 years to get it right!

Love, Yesterdays

2012-01-25T07:44:00.001-05:00

New Banner

Okay...the changes are moving along! My brand has changed to "Love, Yesterdays". I have been planning on going from DBA to LLC this year and I suppose this is the direction I will go in. What started out as Alterity Art, turned into Alterity and morphed into Glamour Buttons has finally (I think!) ended up as Love, Yesterdays. I am actually in love with the name, maybe later I will regale you with the stories behind the last few names :)

Now, off to the studio....yes, even that is getting an overhaul!

PS: In case you are wondering what happened with the lace knit scarf project over the holidays:
It was frustratingly frogged as the fiber I was using just wasn't quite working out. I have since purchased a nice creamy wool blend and restarted the scarf. I'm only on day 1 of the 24 days, but I figure if I get two days knitted in a month, it should be done by next Christmas :)

Reinvention 2012

2012-01-02T13:25:00.001-05:00

I have big plans this year. Plans of reinvention. I am not sure where these plans are going to take me, but they will either make or break me! Will it be my product line? My business name? Who knows, although I do have several things in the works that will be unveiled in the near future. Stay tuned!

Day 1 of Advent Scarf and Our Christmas Tree.....9 Footer!

2011-12-09T12:02:00.000-05:00

I know, I know....it's supposed to be day 9 of the advent scarf! I am going to try to catch up over the weekend!

I altered the pattern a little, however. Remember when I had to rip it back several times? I had this hair brain idea to knit the whole section in stockingette. I lost a little of the original pattern, but you can still see it!

Oh, and we finally got our Christmas Tree yesterday. What a fiasco! First, the field was completely swamp-city! Second, we were not prepared at all! I ruined my clogs, my son and husband ruined their sneekers, my daughter stayed in the Jeep with her mini-skirt! Sheesh...you would have thought we were a bunch of city folk! That's what happens when you live in the country too long....you get this false sense of "oh, I can handle it!" It really was deceiving as there was absolutely NO snow, so who would have thought it would be muddy and still cold?!

She is definitely bigger than we thought. It is so hard to figure out how tall a tree really is when you are outside! She stands about 9 feet tall. Good thing we have the high ceilings, and I always wanted a super-tall tree anyways :)

Hopefully I will be posting more scarf tomorrow as well as a decorated tree!

Holiday in the Shop

2011-12-06T22:23:00.000-05:00

I didn't get a chance to get any knitting done today. Last night I did finish day 1! WhooHoo! Today, my daughter and I played Santa's helper...you know....shopping, coffee, shopping, lunch, shopping, more coffee....
Whew...my dogs are barking!

In the mean time, here is a few things I listed in my shop this evening! Click the titles to see in the shop :)

Liquid Reflections Antique Button Ring

Rose Antique Button Stitch Markers

Ocean Drama Antique Button Bracelet

Oh, and there's FREE SHIPPING in my shop until an unannounced time!

Advent Project for the Holidays!

2011-12-05T13:29:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays! and I guess I dropped the ball again! Sheesh...will I ever get organized?! Well, I will be making another attempt to focus on regular postings in 2012. I know, I know, you have heard it all before, right?!

Remember how excited I was to learn how to knit just a year ago? Well, I'm still at it! I really only knit small things and being the freak that I am, I began learning knit lace just as soon as I learned how to knit, purl, decrease and increase! To put my skills to the test, I joined in a little Advent project I found on Ravelry.com.
If you haven't heard of it before and you are a knitter or a crocheter, go make an account and be prepared to lose the next three hours pouring over patterns! But, I digress!

Kristin Benecken found on Ravelry has developed an Advent scarf project in which you knit a little bit (well, maybe more than that) every day beginning December 1. If you are one of the lucky ones (or determined ones!), by December 24, you have yourself a really sweet knit lace scarf! Well, I found the scarf on December 3 and thought I would try to catch up, so I knitted, ripped out, and knitted all afternoon Saturday. Then, I knitted, ripped out, knitted, ripped out and knitted again all day Sunday! Hence the slow progress:

This is actually just the spacer before the first day's knitting!

Anyway, Kristin uploads the next part of the pattern every day. Everyone else in on Day 5...I am going to try to get caught up to at least the end of Day 2. As if I don't have anything else better to do!!! It's quite comical...Kristin heads the project page with "Nothing to do during the days before Christmas? Would you like to join us and knit a lace scarf, getting a some rows of a pattern every day from the 1st to the 24th of December?" Well, Sure I would, Sweetie, but I sure got tons to do! However, I would love to join you in trying!

YaY to Kristin for taking the time out to do this for us all! It's not too late to join us, by the way: Click Here to (hopefully) get to the page. If it does not link you to it, just go to Ravelry.com, create an account and do a search for "advent scarf".

I am hoping to post daily progresses as time permits, and I hope you decide to join us!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T08:06:00.002-04:00

Every Rose Has It's Day

2011-10-20T16:21:00.000-04:00

nazka2002

...and as with every rose, Alterity has begun to wither also. This is not a bad thing and has actually been in the making for about a year now.

With the advent of Etsy's new "Change your shop name" feature, I finally had the opportunity to change my shop name to something more relevant to my products. I had so many names chosen and, of course, they were all taken by the time I finally got online. So, I now unveil to you:

Glamour Buttons on Etsy

Now that that's sorted, there are other changes coming up in the near future, which I will save for next time. Just be in the know that Changes....they are a' comin!

Hot Peppahs!

2011-10-19T08:24:00.000-04:00

So, I have this bunch of hot pepper plants and I need to do something with the peppers before a killing frost occurs. I had been freezing the peppers all these years, but they are just so smooshy and gross when you defrost them. I will not buy fresh hot peppers at the market as every time you turn around, they are being recalled for salmonella! Yech!!!

So, this year I dried them! Seeing as though it is mid-October and the warm, sunny days will not be seen for another 10 months here, I dried them in my oven. I believe it is not wise to dry them in a gas oven, so luckily I have this horrible electric oven that I hate so much! Guess I should start liking it because it saves me from buying a dehydrator!

How exactly do you dry peppers in the oven, you may ask? Well, here's how:

Obviously, you want to wash your peppers, but keep the stems on them and don't cut them in any way. Apparently, when you cut the peppers open, the "hotness" permeates the air while they dry, leaving you with stinging eyes as the "heat" fills the air! No thanks! Keep them peppers whole, my friend, unless you can keep the kitchen well ventilated!

Spread them on a cookie sheet.....single layer - this is so important. You want the air to flow around the peppers to promote even drying. Set you oven to the lowest temperature. My oven has a "warm" setting, which is actually the best setting for drying peppers. Otherwise, just use the lowest possible setting. Set your timer for 3 hours, put your peppers in the oven, leave the oven door cracked open to allow moisture to escape and wait.....

Turn the peppers over when the timer goes off and continue to turn them every three hours. Drying time will vary depending on how many peppers and how thick they are. This batch took three days to dry, each drying session lasted 12 hours. The main thing is that you really dry them well....the skins will be crispy and the seeds will shake inside like a rattle. If they are not completely dry, they will only rot and what a waste of time all that was!

When your peppers are sufficiently dry (you will know!), store them in an airtight container. You can cut them, grind them, rehydrate them, whatever your wishes are! Please keep in mind that a dried hot pepper is way hotter than a fresh hot pepper, so use with caution! But know that you are using peppers that you grew with your love!

Hello World, Meet Tayelor.

2011-10-12T14:34:00.001-04:00

This year, Tayelor is a senior. We decided that I would be doing her casual senior pictures. Here's how they went!

So hard to pick a favorite! If I had the money, I would retire as a jewelry designer and open my portrait studio!

Coming Back....Where I have Been....

2011-10-04T08:20:00.000-04:00

Yea....sounds a little oppressive. It's not at all, really. Just an announcement that I am getting back on track. Business has taken an unexpected turn (more on that later), my daughter is graduating high school this year (more on that later), I am still swimming in the ocean from my vacation in July (more on that later), and my dystonia is getting worse. Yup, you guessed it....more on that later!

I have been tending classes also....learning some new things. Weaving! Okay....I said it. I have been learning how to weave....boy, dressing a loom is super tedious and migraine inducing :) You will be seeing a peak of this soon....

I have also been working so hard the last month or two to prepare for the holiday rush. Sometimes, 16 hour days just weeks before Christmas are just too much and I can only attribute them to poor planning!

I do plan on catching up with you and if you are one of my friends that have stuck around...checking in on me from time to time to be sure I was still alive, I am totally in love with you! You are what keeps me plugging away sometimes :)

Fairy Tale Bead Swap

2011-06-04T06:00:00.003-04:00

Some time back, I joined another one of Lori Anderson's awesome bead swaps...this one had a Fairy Tale theme! My swap partner was Geneva Collins, and unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to photograph the beads she sent me before creating the piece because I was so excited to start building!

And now...for the unveiling.....

Titiana's Folly

I have to include this little intro from Geneva herself:

"Titiana, Queen of the Fairies in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and her mischievous husband Oberon have taken time out from their scheming and love potions for Puck, Bottom and the rest of the crew to gather some enchanted gems from deep within the forest for you to adorn yourself.

Included in this sweet little charm bracelet full of magical wonders is Moon Pearls hand beaded components, assembled by Geneva herself:

The moss green glass fluted beads are "magic seedpods" and were fashioned into charms. The actual bracelet is constructed of Spectra glass beads using fine wire...they kept cutting my beading thread! They are gorgeous golden colors and have a cool textured finish. It is sort of hard to see the beads under the charms, but they are wired in RAW weave.

Also fashioned into charms are Crystallized starlight and dewdrops (Preciosia Czech rounds and bicones) and Golden Globes to symbolize Shakespeare's Globe Theatre (metal spacers).

To top it off, a vintage brass button...Shakespeare's hand. The button is gorgeous and is definitely a modern button (modern meaning of the 1900's). It is actually fashioned after Victoria's hand (Queen Victoria, that is) as Victoria's hand buttons were wildly popular in the mid to late 1800's. It is a gorgeous component, nonetheless, and right up my alley! Of course, I did not damage the button...the shank is still intact. Here is a closer look:

I wanted to include a picture of the piece being worn...please forgive the fact that it was taken in the evening with (oh, no!), yes, a flash. Unfortunately, the flash didn't work out too well :(

So, there is my contribution to this awesome blog party! Be sure to visit the participants below and to comment on their blogs!

I will be unable to participate in the actual blog hop until Sunday. My husband inadvertently signed us up last week for a car racing event his work is paying for ($300/person package) that takes place on the same day as the party. Needless to say, I have to go, so I will be hopping every one's blog maybe late Saturday, but definitely Sunday!

Now, go hoppin'!

Lori Anderson, Pretty Things

Rebecca Anderson, Song Beads

Courtney Breul, Beads By Breul

Loretta Carstensen, Designs by Loretta

Evelyn Hall, Dragon Lady Evelyn

Sandy Richardson, Sandy's Coloring Box

Dana James, Dana's Jewelry Design

Tara Plote, Newbie Beader

Christine Brandel, A Hot Piece of Glass

****Alterity Button Jewelry...You Are Here!****

Joanna Matuszczyk, Filcowe

Jenni Connolly, Jenni Bead

****Geneva Collins, Torque Story...My Swap partner!****

Elisabeth Auld, Beads For Busy Gals

Sally Russick, Wireworked

Mary McGraw, MK's Creative Musings

Norma Turvey, Moonlit Fantaseas

Erin Prais-Hintz, Treasures Found

Stephanie Haussler, Pixybug Designs

Shai Williams, Shaia's Ramblings

Johanna Rhodes, Fire Phoenix Creations

Sandi Lee James, Do Be Do Bead Do

Sweet Addy Designs

Valerie Norton, Hot Fused Glass

What's Old Is New Again

2011-06-02T17:23:00.001-04:00

The latest spring Artbeads.com design challenge was "What's Old Is New Again". The piece was to celebrate spring and I had all intentions on getting this done well before the end of April! For this piece, I chose elements reminiscent of Miriam Haskell and added an antique carved button for that actual old piece!

The piece began with pretty pastel resin flowers which I wired to brass filigree components with coordinating seed beads and baby pink opaque fire polish beads. This actually took several tries to figure out how to make everything stay in place! The resin flowers were very fun to work with with the ample hole in the center to the forgiving way they had as they were wired and unwired several times. These resin flower and leaf components were combined with new and vintage glass beads from my stash which were wired together.

All of the components were attached with this great silver rollo chain which is actually a base metal chain with silver plating. I love the rollo chains as they are so often found on vintage pieces and when combined with modern elements truly does give them that vintage flair! What I loved most about these rollo chains this: metal base chains are sometimes a little soft and tend to bend out of shape easily. With these rollo chains, the individual links are soldered shut, so no fear of the chain breaking!

For the finishing touch, I took a large antique carved mother of pearl button and embellished it with resin flowers and leaves. Exquisite!

Disclaimer: This is NOT a paid post. Artbeads.com furnished the supplies to create this piece from my original design free of charge in exchange for my honest review of components used. Artbeads.com did not pay me for my time or this article.

Memorial Day...

2011-05-30T09:35:00.000-04:00

Wishing everyone an excellent Memorial Day....just don't forget what this day is all about :)

UFO's. A Product of ADD?

2011-05-28T00:39:00.001-04:00

No, not that kind of UFO!

I'm talking Un-Finished Object. You know, the things you start that haven't quite come to an end yet? Well, I am actually not even sure that UFO would be a good term for it. It is more like "50-things-going-on-at-the-same-time". Here's what I mean:

I have five knitting projects going on right now: a pillow, dishcloths, double pointed needle cases, lace swatches and something I am currently designing and drafting the pattern.

I have four sewing projects going on right now: 2 dresses, a skirt, project bags for all my knitting projects.

I am currently reading five books:
Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking by Allen Carr...to, well, stop smoking.
The Day Christ Died by Jim Bishop...an hour by hour breakdown of Jesus' last day on earth.
Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King...and I'm not even a King fan!
Fixing Freddie by Paula Munier...a free book I got from Amazon's Kindle store
Melting Point by Roger Collins...a World War II fiction novel
and
The Things We Cherished by Pam Jenoff...a World War II fiction novel I am reviewing for Random House - the book is to be released in July 2011.

I have several jewelry projects going right now:
My Artbeads challenge design piece
A piece for a bead swap I have to finish by next week
A button charm bracelet
A button necklace
A ribbon work cuff

Now, it is not like I am not working/reading on these things. I tend to rotate them as my interest shifts. Kinda weird to have so many things going and yet get them all done. Is it multi-tasking? Is it true to life (where I never can just sit and get something done from start to finish due to constant interruptions)? Is it adult attention deficit disorder? Who knows. All I know is that this is the way I am and it seems to work pretty well for me, although I can't say how!

So...do you have several projects going at once or do you see one project through from start to finish before starting another one?

Breathe....

2011-05-25T11:22:00.000-04:00

Breathe?

Well, I'm working on it. I stopped smoking a few days ago! I was in the studio today working on my piece for Artbeads.com listening to my usual '40s music, when the Andrews Sisters start in with "Ac-cent-tchu-ate The Positive". What a perfect song for right now! I am actually stopping in a very different way. No patches, no gum, not Chantix. I am stopping the easy way:

GET THE BOOK!

I bought the book a year ago, read it and put it back on the shelf. Chicken, I guess. Well, I thought it was about time that the book came back down and into my hands. And I will tell you honestly, this really is the easy way to stop smoking. How does he make it so easy? He basically tells you like it is which totally debunks everything you ever thought you knew! You just have to read it to know what I mean.

Let me put it this way: I quit and am using Allen Carr's method...cold turkey and the cold, hard truth. My husband quit cold turkey...too stubborn for Mr, Carr, I guess. So far, I am happy and excited about quitting smoking. My husband? Grumpy, irritable, edgy, nasty. He sees what a great time I am having compared to him, but he still won't read the book. It's a shame, because he does not have to be miserable :( I even tried to help him out by giving him my hardcover and re-purchasing the book again to download on my kindle so that we each have our own copy. Well, the hardcover I gave him still sits on his desk accumulating a thin layer of dust. I am praying that he will come around and just read the darn book!

So I unfortunately could not find the video of the Andrews Sisters singing, but Ella Fitzgerald is just fine!

Help Me Center My Header!

2011-05-21T23:38:00.002-04:00

Because I just can't seem to get it centered!

If anyone has any clue on how I can do this, please comment :)

PS...I have tried everything through the template designer...to no avail it is cocked to the left :(

My Button Shop!

2011-05-18T08:24:00.003-04:00

I admit, I have been out of the blogging sphere for a little while again. No lack of posts ideas, just lack of time to get them up!

At any rate, I just wanted to inform you of my button selling site on Etsy: ButtonAddict.

I acquire literally thousands of buttons every year to use for my jewelry. Last year, I acquired over 17,000! That's a lot of buttons...that's a lot of sorting! As you can imagine, I simply cannot use every single button on my pieces...I am very choosy. So, I sell of the one's I am not going to use! Otherwise, I will be swimming in buttons!

Etsy
buttonaddict

Feel free to skip over there any time to snatch up some of my button goodness! I have been trying to list like crazy as I have so many buttons to unload. I am trying to keep a target of 20 listings per day...not always easy and it doesn't always happen...it takes so long to just list one thing when you are not renewing a sold item!

In other news, as you can see, I am changing my blog appearance again! This time, I really tried to get creative. As usually, epic fail. My margins of the background just are not right, but when I try to upload a file with the specs that Blogger needs for the background, it errors out to tell me that the file is too big to upload! Rrrrrrr.

If anyone can offer any advice, I will gladly welcome it!

It's A Great Day To Be An American....

2011-05-02T09:00:00.000-04:00

I only worry about what is to come from what happened last night.

Take a moment to pray for the safety of America, as well as all the other countries at risk from this group of people.