Messages From The Other Side

This Saturday will be 2 weeks since my mother in laws passing.  Since that time we have already received messages from her.  Whether you believe in that kind of stuff or not, the coincidences are just uncanny.  Most of the time you have to be open to receiving the messages.  Since I already had a close friend who passed, I was open to receiving and was able to pick up on my MIL’s messages.  The day after she died we went back to her apartment to start clearing out stuff.  My husband asked me if he thinks his mom will ever try to contact him.  J is aware of all the feathers I came across after my friend died but wondered if there was anything else.  I told him to watch for anything that comes up that reminds him of her and that it will be pretty obvious.  And sure as shit not a few minutes later one of her favorite tv shows Dr. Who comes on while I digging through her sewing box.  Right at the same time I came across an old newspaper clipping of her engagement announcement to someone that J doesn’t even know with a picture of her on it that was hidden in between some blank folded up papers.  This was significant because one of the things we used to talk about a lot was all of her failed engagements, she was engaged 8 times!  

Then on Thanksgiving I came across this on Pinterest.  The date written on the page was the day she died 11/18/17.  

And don’t get me started on the necklace!  This was definitely a message from her.  It almost made me cry because despite being in and out of many bad relationships, I know deep down in her heart she was a true romantic.  And I also think in a way she was trying to apologize for coming in between J and I for so long.  There are other things such as the feather we found by our mailbox the other day and some strange whooshing noises coming through the phone while J was talking to the funeral director at the mortuary.  Then yesterday my MIL’s cat knocked down an empty cremation urn that we had sitting on top of the counter.  She was probably trying to tell J to get with it and turn in the cremation paperwork!

So even though it has been rough, there is comfort in knowing that she is still with us somehow.  All we got to do is believe.🧚🏼‍♀️

Unlearning

It seems like the more life experiences we go through the more traits we develop to cope with each situation.  Including the traits we develop through our interaction with others.  Good people and good situations help inspire us to become better people and it is very important to have them in our lives.  But I have found that negative situations and having the wrong people in your life can cause us to experience more significant changes.  If we are lucky we will eventually become stronger and wiser because of them.  Negative experiences can lead us to say or do things that we never thought possible.  They can suck the life out of us and at the time we think that we will never get out of that situation.  But life is ever changing.  It may remove us from the bad situation or person but if we don’t consciously let go of what is holding us back then it will almost always come back to haunt us through a similar situation until we finally learn to let go.  Stuff like trying to compete or one up others or making others look bad so you look better...toxic shit.  It takes you away from your true authentic self because instead of trying to become a better version of yourself, you are basically trying to become a better version of someone else!  To break away you have to somehow get yourself into the mindset that your life will become better once you do things that are in line with your destiny.  Sometimes it takes an unexpected tragedy or turn of events to trigger you to finally wake up and realize your fuck ups which can eventually help you to learn and grow.  Once you hit that point you will have no interest looking back.  You “unlearn” these bad habits and slowly start to feel like yourself again but this time with the added bonus of all the strength and wisdom that you’re accumulated.🧘🏻‍♀️

Some New Stuff, Finally📿

Hello Everyone!  I hope you all had a great weekend.  I enjoyed my long Thanksgiving holiday weekend.  It was really nice to have the time off work to sleep in.  It gave me the energy to do A LOT of cleaning.  You know how sometimes when you are on roll and you can’t stop cleaning?  That was me all weekend!  I was able to (sorta) finish my scarf from the other day.  The problem was that I ran out of yarn so I had to extend it with a different color and it was still too short!  I was actually using scrap yarn so I wasn’t able to extend it with the exact match.  At least now I know approximately how much yarn to use. 

I FINALLY made some new stuff to add to my shop.  I have found that focusing on a theme or center point keeps me going.  This week I worked with one of my favorite stones & color turquoise.  It is also my birthstone.  Here are some of the bracelets I made.  The black beads are lava stone and can be used as an essential oil diffuser, the scent can last up to a whole day.  The red rose/yellow jade bracelet is inspired by Beauty & The Beast.  

I also made this Sagittarius necklace which is my astrological sign.♐️  I will be making one for each sign as it hits their season.  The metallic silver leather cord is adjustable.  I used a turquoise colored Swarovski crystal to represent its birthstone.

So there you have it, these will be available in my shop this week.  Hope to see you there!📿

Cleaning Up

Happy Friday🙋🏻‍♀️.  Today I spent a lot of time cleaning out and organizing my stash of beads, charms, crystals, etc. so that I can start making stuff.  I can’t believe how many things I found that I forgot I had!  I also bought some new crystals and gemstones yesterday.  

I am about a third way done with finishing a scarf.  I am getting really fast and developing a good rhythm.  It is starting to feel very therapeutic and is a great alternative to meditation if you are like me and cannot sit still for very long.  

I will be working on projects all weekend.  I go through phases of wanting to isolate myself to having a bunch of energy.  I am currently in isolation mode.  Next weekend I am going to a big yoga event that should be lots of fun.  TTYL!👩🏻‍💻

Happy Thanksgiving🦃

Hello everyone!🙋🏻‍♀️  Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.  I have a lot to be thankful for this year despite the 2 recent deaths in the family.  I have a loving and supportive family, a few close friends that I trust wholeheartedly, a job that is flexible and doesn’t suck the life out of me, a renewed beginning with my business, and an overall sense of positive energy for the future.  Sometimes it is necessary to go through hard times in order to appreciate the good things in your life.  I am still in grieving mode but it has only been a week and the holiday makes it even harder.  Mostly I have been thinking about what it is going to be like for us in the future now that a huge part of our life is gone.  This is a major shift that we haven’t really prepared for.  Like for instance, we took in both her cats so now we have 5 cats living with us!  One day at a time I guess.

We usually go over to my parents for Thanksgiving but my mom is in California right now to help plan for her sister’s funeral and doesn’t want us to have Thanksgiving at her house without her around.  None of my siblings or myself are able to host at our places on such short notice so we are all on our own this year.  Luckily my sister lives just down the street from my parents so she invited my Dad to join her family for dinner.  Then later we are all going Black Friday shopping.  I don’t have a problem with stores opening on Thanksgiving.  If people don’t like it then just don’t go.  For me it is more of a fun bonding day with my family rather than getting the cheap bargains.  

Much love to you all!🧡

Back in Business

Hello everyone!  Happy Thanksgiving week🦃.  I have good news to share for my project recap...I made another sale today.  My Romeo and Juliet charm necklace.  I am pretty confident now that coming back on here is driving traffic to my shop.  So far I have only been relisting some of my sold or expired items.  I think I am ready to start posting new stuff which I can start by making at least one new item a day.  

I haven’t done much knitting this past week because of the recent loss in my family.  Last night I found out that we lost another member, my aunt who was only 51😔.  I am getting better at the purl stitch.  I joined a knitting group on FB last week for some motivation and inspiration.  Until next time!💍

Happy Birthday Mom

Happy Birthday today to my Mom and also to one of my best friends Melanie.  Two of the strongest and smartest people I know whom I trust my life with completely.  They are true ultimate survivors that can withstand any situation that life throws at them and are seriously able to accomplish nearly the impossible.  Love you both!💚

To Feel or Not to Feel

Hello people🙋🏻‍♀️  I have decided to blog freestyle from now on with the exception of my weekly project recap.  I don’t like to limit myself and feel more comfortable talking about whatever is on my mind at the moment instead of coming up with topics to fit a theme.  Sometimes I jump too far ahead of myself.

**EDITED**  

I am going to refrain from talking about myself too much. 

Try it Tuesday-Monthly Subscription Boxes

So how many subscription boxes do you all subscribe to??  Chances are most of us subscribe to at least one.  They are so ultra popular nowadays that pretty much anyone can find one that suits their interest.  The nice thing about them is that you get to try things that you wouldn’t normally purchase and sometimes end up liking it.  And plus it really does feel like Christmas every time you get a new package in your mailbox.😍 The only downside is that you will end up with things you don’t like.  But I usually just give those away as gifts or sell them on Ebay.  So a win win right?  I currently subscribe to 4 “boxes”.  The first one I ever subscribed to was Ipsy about 3 years ago.  ($10.00/month, Ipsy.com) I think it is the best value for the money.  You get 5 sample or full size beauty products and a cute makeup bag.  I must admit that I like the bags more than the makeup sometimes because I really don’t wear that much makeup.  Here is what I got this month which I received today:

I love the makeup bag!  The only product I tried so far is the Bang Beauty lipgloss.  It is okay and has a nice vanilla scent, the color is alright.  I am most interested in trying Benefit’s “They’re Real” mascara.  Benefit is one of my favorite makeup brands.

The 2nd one I subscribe to is Facetory.  You get 4 Korean sheet masks a month @ $7.90/month (they also offer a 7 set package as an upgrade).  I am a total sheet mask addict!  I discovered the joy of sheet masks from a sample I got from...you guessed it Ipsy!  Sheet masks usually give my skin a nice healthy glow and keep it moisturized.  This month Facetory celebrates their 1 year anniversary.  Here is what I got:

Can’t wait to try the Sweet Lemon Candy Mask!🍭

The last one I am sharing today is BuddhiBox.  They offer different size options.  The one I subscribe to is $14.95 a month and always include at least a roll on essential oil and a raw healing stone, other samples included may vary.  Here is this month’s box:

The stone is a yellow fire stone and supposedly gives you a boost of self confidence.  The Hippie Homesteader “Vibrant” essential oil has a nice subtle spicy citrus scent.  I also love the Co-pur peppermint rosemary lip balm.  It goes on very nice and smooth and not waxy.  I really like everything I got in this month’s box.  Oh I almost forgot, they also give you a code for a 10 minute online guided meditation every month as well.

The last box I get each month is Bulubox.  I haven’t received this month’s box yet but it is a box they carries samples of healthy natural or organic goodies.  You get about 6 to 8 items that can be anything from snacks to beauty products.  This is the least expensive box, $5.95/month.  

That’s it.  My favorite box is the BuddhiBox but the only one that I use up all products is Facetory.  What are some of your favorites??🧚‍♀️

Project Recap Monday

Hello everyone!👋.  Hope everyone had a great weekend.  Mondays will be my project recap day and/or stuff related to my business.  Today I mailed out the bracelet I sold last Friday.  I always like to throw in a few extra goodies for my customers as a thank you.  Usually some loose charms, stickers, or pretty notecards.  For wholesale orders I like to include an extra item that is not part of the sale.  This gives them an idea of what else I offer and it keeps up good customer relations.

Last week I mentioned starting on the PURL stitch in knitting.  Well I pretty much suck at this!  It is the opposite image of the KNIT stitch so I found myself in utter confusion because I have a bad sense of direction.  I mean I can do it but it is going to take a lot of practice to get the hang of it.  My sense of direction sucks because I was born left handed but my parents didn’t think that was normal so I ended up being ambidextrous and use my right hand to write and my left hand for physical things like brushing my teeth/hair and using a knife.  I will continue to work on the purl stitch this week.

I have come up with a weekly theme to keep me focused:  Tuesdays I can review products, websites, or anything I’d like to share of interest.  I just got a couple of my monthly subscription boxes in the mail today that I can review.  Wednesdays I can talk about magical metaphysical supernatural psychic astrological stuff.  Thursdays I can post a quote or saying and share my thoughts or feelings about it.  Fridays I will leave open for whatever.  I probably won’t always blog every single one of those days but it is a guide I can follow.  Until next time!🧡

A Nice Surprise

I sold a bracelet on Etsy today.  Yay, what a nice surprise because I haven’t listed anything new recently and the last sale I made was back in June.  I take that as a sign that I’m on the right track.  Maybe activating my blog is generating more traffic or maybe it is just pure coincidence but whatever it is I am grateful.  

I think I am going to stick with Blogger instead of starting a new blog elsewhere.  It is better to stay consistent and if I blog enough my tags will eventually show up closer towards the top of the search results on Google and plus Blogger is powered by Google.  I forgot to add that Pinterest could also be another potential source of promotion.  I will be back on Monday or Tuesday.  Have a wonderful weekend!

So What’s Next?

Yesterday I went to the thrift store so that I can buy some extra yarn to practice on & got a bagful of these for only $1.99.  What a nice selection!  I have been practicing on the KNIT stitch all week and feel like I’ve got the hang of it.  One of the hardest things about knitting at least for me is hand coordination.  I still feel a bit clumsy.  This weekend I will be practicing on the PURL stitch.  After I get the hang of that then I will be able to create many things.  According to the experts there are 4 basic techniques that are essential in knitting: 

1.) Cast on: The first initial stitch to get you started 

2.) Knit stitch: One of the 2 major stitch patterns

3.) Purl stitch:  The other major stitch pattern

4.) Bind off: The last stitch to close up your knitting.

I am going to try & blog at least 3 times a week, no weekends.  I want to talk about more than just my projects though.  Maybe one of the days I’ll update on projects, then another day I can write up product reviews, then another day I can share my opinions on a topic.  I can talk about anything and everything!  I wish Blogger was more user friendly.  This platform is so outdated!  Links are not working and missing pics, it’s disturbing.  I’ve been writing mostly from my phone so maybe I’m limited to what I can do.  I wonder if the blog hops still exist?  When I get my Etsy shop running again I will probably open up an Instagram account for my business.  Not anytime soon though.  That is the only major platform I have not tried yet as a marketing tool.  I don’t think it was around back when I started. 

Thank you to everyone who reads my blog.  Have a great weekend!

Reflecting Thoughts

Yesterday I touched up on my business journey through the years.  As with anything in life there will always be highs and lows.  I think when things got busy especially during the bracelet years, it started to feel more like a job and I started to lose interest.  I didn’t feel like I was doing it for me anymore, like the creativity part of it was gone.  But I wouldn’t change a thing about my journey.  I’ve always had it in the back of my mind that I would come back when the time is right.  It was and will continue to be a great experience as I continue to grow & learn.  I am very proud of what I have accomplished and how I used my gut instincts to make most decisions.  It has definitely made me more confident in myself as I discovered many skills/talents I didn’t know I had.  And to this day it still makes me very happy when I make a sale.  It just amazes me that someone would want to wear something I made.  I’m not talking down on myself, it is more like a “thank you so much for liking something that I made!” type of feeling.  I mean there are literally thousands of people out there wearing or have worn something that I’ve made.  It’s like a part of me is with all these people and that’s cool as shit if you think about it.  

So next entry I would like to come up with some ideas I would like to focus on.  I’m still enjoying my knitting projects but not quite ready to dig back into jewelry yet but I definitely will eventually.  Until next time!

Years Gone By

Last post I mentioned that I would touch briefly on the 6 years I’ve been away. My 2nd year in business was definitely my most successful year.  By that time I was averaging 2 sales a week on Etsy in addition to participating in local craft fairs with both the local Etsy team & on my own.  I really enjoyed being part of the team and once a year a group of us would participate in a big festival held over here the Hyde Park Street Fair which I have participated in 3 times & always had such a blast.  Unfortunately the team disbanded in 2013 because our group leader opened up her own business and nobody was willing to take her place. We went our separate ways but some of us still keep in touch on FB.  I stopped blogging shortly after I opened up my FB business page because I was getting a lot more exposure over there and didn’t have much time to blog anymore. I had so much fun with my FB page but all the social interaction was a bit overwhelming at times.  I was doing giveaways and contests and meeting other crafters and we were all “liking” each other’s pages. It was a great way to make sales outside of Etsy and connect with potential customers and the added benefit of having the support of your family/friends there as well.  In addition to all of this I was doing wholesale bracelet orders for 3 yoga businesses out east. Chakra bracelets that they give to their students as incentives for joining their class.  By the end of the 2nd year my business practically became like a part time job.  I didn’t have as much motivation to post new items on Etsy anymore.  Instead I was mostly relisting items I’ve sold.  That same year I attended a Christmas party event with the local autism moms group and we had a white elephant gift exchange.  The girl that ended up with my bracelet loved it so much that she shared it with the autism moms FB group page and after that I was flooded with moms requesting to purchase one of my bracelets.  It helps that I was offering it to them for half of what I was selling it for on Etsy.  I never felt so popular in all my life!  The orders were steady for the next few months and I went on to donate some for autism charity events.  By the spring of 2013 I stopped creating new items on Etsy and basically became the bracelet lady because that was all I was ever selling anymore.  I also landed another business deal with an online autism store to sell some of my bracelets.  Nowadays I rarely get any orders on Etsy anymore and still get wholesale orders but also very rarely.  So that is where I am now.  Some closing thoughts in next post then time to move forward!  I didn’t know this published already!  It was supposed to still be in draft!  

I’m Back

Hello everyone!  I’m back on here after a 6 year absence.  I’ve been gone for so long that I don’t think anyone remembers me.  That is okay because I am pretty much starting over.  And honestly I don’t really know what I’m doing but I will figure it out as I head into this next chapter.  So much has happened in 6 years which I will touch on briefly in a future post.  But today I just want to announce that I am back for the time being.  This is a low key platform that I can document my progress at my own pace.  I want to add that my absence from my business has nothing to do with any bad experiences or lack of sales.  Almost everyone I’ve done business with as well as my family & friends have been great & extremely supportive.  It was just a combination of taking on more than I could handle and dealing with personal life challenges.  So the first thing I’ve decided to do is to focus on a project that will hold my interest long enough to get me back into the swing of things.  I chose knitting because I consider myself a beginner since there are still a lot of patterns I have yet to learn.  It also requires a lot of patience which is something that I struggle with a lot when I get frustrated.  Attached is a pic of what I started this past weekend.  It’s funny because none of this was planned, I just decided to buy some knitting stuff at the store last Friday and went along with it.  I am not much of a planner and tend to go with the flow with most things in life.  So that’s it for now.  I am going to finish off these 3 projects & then learn some new stitches.  I also need to clean up this page a bit & update any changes.  I don’t know why a lot of the pictures on my past posts are missing??  Until next time...