Reminisce a Time

Every time my post about my first Etsy sale pops up on my Facebook memories I smile and get this warm fuzzy feeling.  It is a special memory for me because you always remember your first.  I can’t believe it has been 10 years.  The neat thing was that I just knew in my heart that it was the start of a grand adventure and not just some random sale.  I used to pull a tarot card every morning to see how my day was going to be and they were almost always correct.  I remember pulling the Star card that morning.  I’ve learned so much through all the ups and downs, this has definitely been a huge part of my life and growth through the years.  Even though I don’t know which direction to take lately, I still believe that this will continue to be an important part of my life.  I’m forever grateful for opportunity and adventure💖🥂💖🥂💖

I Think I’m Alone Now

I hope enough time has passed to where I can write on here again without many people knowing and that all of my haters have moved on.  I need to go and delete all of my past blog links I shared on Twitter.  I’ve been doing so well lately that any slight indication of a toxic situation makes me physically ill.  I’m sure I’ve over exaggerated some situations that are probably not true but I believe that is part of my healing process.  As I go through my healing journey, I’m starting to value more good things in my life...people, places, things.  I’ve also been extremely sensitive to the energy around me.  I understand more the importance of making a good impression.  I regret all the times I lost control of my emotions.  I want to set a good example and for people feel comfortable enough to trust me.

I’ve been working on making new things for my shop.  I made a bunch of bracelets and tweaked a couple necklace designs.  It is always good to clean up and reorganize your shop every once in awhile.  It is funny to notice how much my taste has changed through the years.  Overall still the same but now I am making more items that I would actually wear instead of just putting stuff together because it looks good or the colors match.  Below is a pic of some of the bracelets I made.  I got a really nice email from one of customers today thanking me for her stuff and how much she likes them.  It totally made my night as I was so tired coming home from work today.  I took a day off last week and was slammed with emails this morning.  

I think I’m going to try and go to bed early tonight.  I know I say that every night but I’m really going to try this time.  It just helps me function better during the day.  Like right now I feel kinda down.  I haven’t checked any of my socials.  All I want to do is mind my own business, engage with good genuine people, and for toxic people to leave me alone.  I better go now because I can feel myself headed towards a ranting session.

I hope in a few months or years I will look back to see how much more I’ve grown as a person.  I’m sure I have since I last wrote 2 years ago but I am not ready to read stuff from that time frame yet.  When I am able to read it without cringing, I will know that I have healed.

I will write when I can.  No more themes or topics like before.  Just whatever comes up in my mind.  For some reason I get more random sales when I post an entry.  Maybe it boosts the traffic searches to my shop. Good night cyber world 😴🌎 

10 Years

Long time no write!  Today I just want to document the 10 year anniversary of when I opened up my Etsy shop.  I wasn’t going to say anything because I’ve been inactive but then I saw a post on Instagram earlier today from a poet that posted a pic of herself and informed all of us that none of her family and friends know that she has that account and that she started writing again.  I totally understand where she is coming from.  Whether we want to admit it or not, other people ruin beautiful things.  Sometimes when we get a lot of exposure there is a lot of noise and we lose the core essence of why we started.  I’ve undergone a lot of changes since I last wrote.  Things in my life have definitely gotten better.  I’m in a good place but still struggling with some things.  Mostly with unlearning thoughts and behaviors I’ve developed while I was going through tough times.  But it seems the more I distance myself from toxic environments, the better my life becomes.  I can actually feel myself become physically ill when I’m around it now or when something triggers me.  The healing process is very lonely because only you know what is truly right for you but if you have something to believe in whether it is God or any guiding force to help you through, it will give you a sense of comfort.  I feel like I lost a lot of friends or people I thought were friends.  But there are a handful of friends that I truly cherish with all my heart.  This has been a very strange year.  The pandemic has forced us all to slow down and appreciate the simple things.  It has brought out sides in people that has never been shown before.  I don’t think anything will ever be the same again but that could eventually be a good thing.  There has to be balance for anything to work.  I’ve been doing a lot of purging, just getting rid of a lot of old junk and clothes.  It feels really good, the more I get rid of stuff the more energy I have.  I got rid of all the craft and jewelry supplies I know I will never use and keep only the ones I will use.  It makes things less overwhelming and more organized so that I have the motivation to create again.  I’ve also been keeping physically active since I last wrote.  Mostly walking and riding my bike.  And trying to eat healthy.  I have lost over 20 pounds but now it seems like I’ve hit a plateau.  Should I blame it on the pandemic?  Probably because that was when things started to slow down.  Oh well, I’ll keep doing what I’m doing and I am okay with where I’m at.  Overall things have been great for me and my family.  I get to work from home most days of the week and only go in to the office twice a week.  This has saved money on gas and the stress of getting up to get ready in the mornings and especially all the bad traffic!  I hope this becomes a permanent option for us, I don’t see very many people wanting to head back to office life anytime soon.  

That’s all I have for now.  I will definitely add more things to my shop soon.  I am going to make some bracelets today even if I don’t post any yet.  The nice thing about this business is that I can come and go as I please and things still pick up when I’m active again.  Here is a bracelet I made yesterday for the 4th.  The bracelet stones are made of labradorite which is a stone of transformation, strength, and perseverance and butterflies to me represent transformation and freedom.  Butterflies aren’t usually my favorite but they have been significant in my life such as when I got a butterfly tattoo a year after my divorce and how I chose to build my house in the Monarch subdivision.  

Until next time, whenever that is😅  

It’s Gonna Be May

I can’t believe it is May already.  This year has really gone by super fast.  The weather is starting to be consistently nice enough for my son and I to take our daily evening bike rides.  Also, the city is offering free bike rentals all during the month of May.  It will be nice to take advantage of this to check out areas that we’ve never been to before.  On the 19th I will be volunteering a few hours at the Indigo Arts Festival, it is an event to support mental health awareness.  I think I will be at the information booth but I’m not sure yet.

So it has been almost 3 weeks since I opened up my Instagram business account and I am actually enjoying it.  Everyone has been so supportive and nice.  It seems like everyone has a different reason for being there.  I haven’t really figured out my goal yet but I know if I am consistent with it then it will lead me to other things.  Mostly I have been posting things from my shop, knitting projects, things I’ve made, pics of my cats, and subscription boxes.  I’ve also been posting daily positive motivational quotes in the morning and more deeper quotes or poetry at night.  I’m still reluctant to post more personal stuff but I think I will share a little here and there so that people get to know me better and maybe build a connection with my products.  Overall things are going well.  It hasn’t made any difference in my sales but I’m putting myself out there and learning a lot through observation and getting inspiration from other people’s pages.

That’s all the updates I have for now.  Crossing my fingers for a great month ahead👍

Stranger Things

Happy Friday 13th☠️ everyone, a great way to end such a strange week.  I’ve been spending a lot of time over on Instagram which is crazy because I used to hate it.  I think because I’m such a private person, I don’t like to share much of my personal life with most people.  But I do actually like engaging with others through shared interests and also learning new things so it has been kind of fun meeting all these new people.  It is also nice that I am able to connect with people that I know as well as reconnecting with old friends that I haven’t talked to in ages.  Mostly I have been setting up my account and putting myself out there.  I’ve been going on following sprees but I’m done for now.  I don’t want to overextend myself and I also want to be able to get to know more about these new people and build some solid relations.  But also because I got locked out 3 times!  So now I am not able to follow anyone new but occasionally it will let me follow a few people then lock me out again.  That’s okay, I think I’ve spent enough time on it and don’t need to focus on set up anymore.  Everything does feel different this week. I honestly never planned to open up a new Instagram account.  I was just bored and went along with whatever I was feeling at the moment and it just took off from there.  It’s nice to be able to shift my energy towards something more positive.  I’m aware that this change will take some time to get used to and I’ll probably fall back into some old habits but if I surround myself with the right people and situations then it will help make the transition a lot better.☠️

Follow Me on the Gram

I finally opened up a business account on Instagram a couple days ago.  I have a personal account but find that most people get annoyed when you mix business with pleasure so I’m playing around with it now to see if it works for my business.  I will post a variety of other stuff too.  Let’s see how long this lasts!  My username is karmickreations3.  I will link to my Twitter and Facebook business page.  Here is a screenshot of my page...

In other news I have been keeping busy with work and the transition into spring.  Now that the weather is nicer I have started up my daily walks in addition to my workouts.  It’s given me more energy and I am sleeping better at night.  I also have some events coming up that I am going to participate in.  The autism walk is in a couple weeks, always a great time with family and friends.  Next month I am volunteering a few hours at an arts festival that advocates for mental illness.  Maybe that will give me the motivation to start signing up for vendor opportunities again.  The first week of June there are a bunch of free yoga events for yoga awareness week so I’ll definitely be taking advantage of those.  Also my son and I are participating in the Bubble Run again this year.  That’s it for now.  I’m excited that winter is finally over, it was a real depressing one this time around.  Have a great week!🦄

Less is More

 Lately I’ve been feeling like there is a major energy shift going on that will end up producing some much needed changes.  Maybe this is happening because of all the junk we’ve been getting rid of.  Since everything is made up of energy then it makes sense that something new will come along to replace it.  I’ve been pretty hypersensitive the past couple of weeks with high anxiety, higher than normal.  Sometimes it is best to step away for a little while when you feel like you’ve done all you could and nothing changes in order to prevent things from getting worse.  Stepping away also helps you to think more clearly because you are not distracted by all the noise that could distort your judgement.  I feel a strong urge to get rid of everything and to start over.  Basically go back to simpler times.💆🏻‍♀️

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Hello it’s me again.  Lately I’ve been taking a step back from everything to reflect internally.  Sometimes I get too far ahead of myself and end up losing focus of what I’m really doing.  Or does that even matter??  From now on I am not going to talk about my plans but instead just do it and talk about it afterwards.  That way I won’t feel pressured into meeting a deadline or goal.  Also, if I want to continue writing on here, I will try my hardest not to talk about my personal life.  The day to day casual stuff is fine, just not my personal issues.  

Another thing I want to talk about briefly is misunderstandings.  I know I shouldn’t have to say this but I just want to put it out there that 99% of the time when I’m posting, liking, retweeting, or writing something it is for my own entertainment or to share with those who may have similar interests or see the world in the same way as I do.  Most of the time when I’m posting something I have no idea that I’ve offended someone.  I do have a tendency to say the wrong thing at the wrong time and I actually find that timing very funny sometimes.  Maybe our energies are aligned and that is what is causing the coincidences.  Maybe we need certain people in our lives to help us get to the next level.  This could be positive or negative.  Once you align your energy with someone, you start to sync up with each other.  I wouldn’t believe it if it didn’t happen to me but it has and still does!  But enough crazy talk...on most days I’m just doing my own thing and minding my own business.

Last week I got an order for 26 autism awareness bracelets from one of my ongoing customers, the Autism Community Store out in Denver.  I started working on them this weekend and will finish up and mail out this week. 

I’m so excited that it is almost spring!  Have a great week everyone!!💚

Dog Years🐶

Chuc mung nam moi everyone!  Today is the new year for many Asian countries.  We Vietnamese call it “Tet”.  It is the biggest holiday over there kind of like Christmas over here.  My family is celebrating tomorrow, we usually gather over at my parents.  There are also festivities at the Buddhist temple and some around town.  It’s funny because the only time I see so many Asians around here is during New Years.  There is not a lot of cultural diversity where I live but it is a lot better than it used to be. 

I made a sale on Etsy today so the year is off to a good start.👍  It is for this turquoise copper bird charm bracelet.  A good sign I hope.

I have more items to list maybe next week.  I’ve been really busy at work and also with stuff around the house.  Actually things have been really hectic in general this month.  Being caught in the middle of this tug of war with the family is emotionally draining and I just wish everyone could get along.  I try to distance myself by knitting and watching the Olympics.  The latest project I’m working on is this hat for my sister in law.  Her birthday was on the 1st but we usually celebrate it on New Years because it’s so close.  Her favorite color is purple, hope she likes...

That’s it for now.  Need to get this hat done by tomorrow.  I don’t have to work on Monday because of Presidents Day, yay for that🐶

Valentine’s Day 2018

Happy Valentine’s Day!  My views about this holiday have changed a lot through the years.  To me it’s more about a universal love rather than a romantic love.  So enjoy your day with your loved ones, be kind to a stranger or whatever.  Just radiate love!  And if you are alone, know that I am with you in spirit.  Love to you all❤️

Long Time, No Write

What’s up everyone!👋  I feel like it has been forever since I last wrote even though it has only been a week. Things have been really hectic lately.  We’ve been doing some hardcore cleaning and in the next few weeks some major renovations.  One of the hardest lessons we are learning is to stop pushing people away and to accept help from others to get us back on our feet.  Maybe I can talk more about this in the future but for now it’s just too overwhelming.

This week I listed 10 new items and now have exactly 50 items listed which means I met my goal, yay.  I feel now like I’m at a good point to reduce my listings to just 2 or 3 new items per week.  It can be very time consuming to list new items especially if you are a perfectionist like me.  But I had fun going through the process.  It felt like old times just thinking of new ideas to make, taking pics, and coming up with cheesy descriptions.  Also, it looks like I am in dire need of a manicure, haha.  Maybe I should get a mannequin hand and neckline display instead of modeling them myself.  That would make things easier to angle for the camera.  But I don’t mind modeling.  Fun little fact..I actually did model for short time back in my early 20’s.  

This next week I’m going to get back into knitting.  I like to switch up my hobbies every once in awhile to satisfy my need for variety.  I really miss knitting, I think that is one of the reasons why I’ve been so on edge lately.  I also miss writing my posts of random topics.  Time to get back on it!

I keep falling asleep so I’ll end this here.  Have a wonderful weekend everyone.💅

I’m on a Roll

I’ve been working super hard this week and really proud of myself for accomplishing more than I set out to do.  I was able to add a total of 11 new items to my shop this week!  It’s like once you get into a habit of doing things, it starts to become routine.  I work on the majority of my kreations and listing write ups at night.  Then I usually bring the finished items to work with me and take pics during my breaks and do a quick listing if I have time.  My goal is to keep at least 50 items listed at all times, right now I have 40.  After I hit that mark I can go back an inactivate any items that show the least amount of activity and replace it with new ones.  I probably won’t list any new items this weekend but will keep making new stuff to add for next week.

  Things have been changing a lot for me and my family the past few months.  It’s almost like a collective transformation is occurring.  I do believe it’s true that the people you surround yourself with have a huge influence in your life whether you realize it or not.  There’s been a lot of clearing out of the old to make room for the new, some wake up calls, and unexpected blessings in disguise.  It’s just been so strange lately but I do believe that we’re heading into a much more positive direction.  Just got to make it through these next few weeks!  Happy weekend to you all.🌎

Recap Monday 01/29/18

Hello Everyone!🙋🏻‍♀️.  Well I got my laptop today and I love it😍 It is super fast and in excellent condition.  I am currently downloading programs on it.  My cat loves it as well.  She just plopped on top of it.  Probably for the warmth😸.

I’m going to take a break from knitting this week to focus solely on stuff for my shop.  I have these conversation heart charms that I have no idea where I got from but they are perfect for Valentine’s Day.

Here are the items I’m using for the current zodiac sign Aquarius.  Blue glitter vile as water for the water bearer, get it?  The purple birthstone here is amethyst.  I love the iridescent mermaid scale charms, they’re so pretty!

I will have these listed by the end of the week. 

Last week I thought I would give crocheting another try.  I think I finally got the hang of it but it is too soon to tell if I will like it or not.  So far I don’t like it as much as knitting.  Here is a sample of what I did.

That’s it for now, have a great week!👩🏻‍🏫

I Found One💻

I bought a refurbished Dell Latitude E5420 laptop today off Ebay.  I only paid $155.00, free shipping.  I’ve never bought a used or refurbished computer before but the seller had good reviews on similar items and there is a 30 day warranty.  It has everything I need plus Windows Office which I usually have to purchase separately on a new computer.  Crossing my fingers with this one.  I usually have great luck with Dell so I’m not too worried.  I might have to hide it from my son though because he is a computer addict.  In fact, he was the one that dropped & broke my last laptop!  If he sees this one he will be all over it!  He already has his own computer, an iPad, 2 kindle fires, and my old iPhone so back off.

 I also emailed the person who created the Blogger Pro app and he said that Google suddenly discontinued certain features on all apps without warning which includes uploading pics.  The good news is that he made an update to fix this and sent it to Apple and to check back in 24 hours.🕰 

Problems Posting Pics

Well I guess I am not able to post pics for now.  Maybe there is something wrong with the app.  I uninstalled and reinstalled it but it’s still causing problems.  Now I definitely need to get a new computer or laptop.  I wrote a bunch of stuff last night and it all got deleted.  I’m too upset to write anything now and it is late.  At least I made a sale today on a bracelet, yay for that at least!👩🏻‍💻

Lazy Daze

I’ve been feeling really lazy this week and my mind is all over the place.  Every time I overthink it causes me to shut down and find ways to distract myself from things I’m supposed to be doing.  I have to remind myself that there’s no rush and that little progress is better than no progress at all.  I haven’t made any recent sales lately but I’m getting the visits and likes.  I even got 3 new followers on my FB business page which I haven’t updated since September 2012!  I do plan on heading back over there sometime but I would like to fill up my Etsy with a decent amount of items.  It just looks more professional that way.  I feel like writing about it on here is the work in progress while sharing it over there is the finished product.  

The knitting continues to be a very effective meditation tool.  I don’t get angry as much anymore.  My impulsive behaviors have even decreased.  I think things through more, it helps me slow down.  

That’s enough rambling for today.  I’m allowed my off days just as long as I don’t quit!!👊

All We Have is Time

This week went by so fast it doesn’t even seem like a Friday.  I added a couple new items on Etsy yesterday and will keep adding more to build up to at least 50 items.  Right now I only have 27 items.  I’m still looking for a good laptop.  I usually have a hard time deciding because I want to make sure I am getting the best quality at a reasonable cost.  This Sunday 14th is my Dad’s 73rd birthday.  I’m knitting him a beanie.  He likes dark neutral colors so I think he will like this one.  Hopefully I get it done in time.  

I can’t help but think about how much longer I have with my parents ever since my MIL died😢.  I love them both so much, it is one of my greatest fears to lose them.  I don’t want to see them suffer or be in any kind of pain or to never see them again.  Who knows if there really is an afterlife?!  I would like to think there actually is a heaven or some kind of spiritual kingdom once we cross over.  It just seems like there has to be something more after we die because of how complicated human intelligence and emotions are.  It just doesn’t seem possible that all of that suddenly ends after we die.  Maybe a discussion in a future post.  Have a great weekend you all!🧐

No Expectations, No Disappointments

We all have preferences or things we look for in our relationships, jobs, lifestyle, etc. but when these preferences turn into expectations, that is when things can turn problematic.  The difference between a preference and an expectation is that you are able to live with and work around your preferences but with an expectation it is more of an all or nothing attitude.  This attitude will almost always end in disappointment because it is only limited to your ideal of the way things are supposed to be.  I think it is very healthy to embrace our differences in a relationship or situation.  It teaches us conflict resolution skills and can open our minds to new ways of thinking.  You don’t have to agree with the differences but you should at least try to respect it.  However I do believe there are some things you should never have to compromise especially if it goes against your personal morals or ethics.  For example, finding out your friend is a racist.  Maybe you can help your friend see the light but if they can’t then you shouldn’t have to put up with it.  Also there are many times when you just simply realize that a relationship or situation just isn’t for you and that is perfectly fine too...if you don’t jive, you don’t jive.  But if you value the relationship, a foundation of compromise and trust is key.👩🏻‍💻

Now Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

This is my first full week back to work and my son’s first day back to school from holiday break.  In a way I am glad things are back on schedule.  Sometimes routine can be calming with its predictability.  Today I received this 18 piece wooden circular needles set that I ordered a week ago from EBay.  I am really impressed by the quality of these needles considering I only paid a little over 5 bucks for them and US seller too.  That is around the same price for just one circular needle that you buy at the store!  A steal indeed.

The nice thing about circular needles is that they are more portable than stick needles and you can use them for flat pieces as well such as scarves.  It also saves time because you don’t have to stitch seams together or go back and forth between knit/purl on the stockinette stitch.  Here is the first beanie I knitted in the round.

I’ve been making mostly hats lately but made a couple scarves.  I finished an infinity scarf last night but it was a little too wide.  I guess I have to start reading patterns.  

I am going to post more stuff on Etsy this week.  Probably some Valentines Day themed stuff since that is the next holiday.  I forgot I was going to add zodiac theme necklaces for each month, sorry Caps!  I will add one this week.  

I am also looking to buy a new laptop so that I can work more on organizing and fine tuning my Etsy and also my blog.  Right now I am doing everything on my iPhone.  My last laptop dropped on the floor, screen shattered and damaged the touchscreen.  I’m looking for one that is lightweight and lightening fast.

There are some other projects that I am planning on in the future as soon as I get my stuff in order.  So for now I will continue to create, write, build, whatever I have time for!!!👍👍👍

New Year, New Me??

Happy New Year!!  I love new beginnings and the opportunity to start over or start something different.  Yesterday I wasn’t feeling too well tho, one of those shut everyone out and isolate myself moods.  It always seems like there are million things running through my mind.  It’s just that I know where I’m headed but I’m feeling overwhelmed by how I’m supposed to get there.  I’m just ready for some positive changes.  One thing I’ve already done was cancel my individual gym membership to Crunch Fitness and instead got a YMCA membership for the whole family so that we can all get active together.  I was actually doing very well last year with my workouts until I started my new job the end of April but still kept active through October with daily walks on my lunch break.  Now it’s time to get back into it.  Then in the spring we can do more outdoor activities.  I really like this statement and it is so true.  

Another thing I would like to start doing more of this year is to fill up my social calendar a bit.  I don’t want to go overboard but I would like people to know that I still exist.  I feel like I’ve basically vanished from the face of the earth the past couple years and people have forgotten about me.  I am also thinking about getting back into selling at outdoor events this summer/fall but that’s a big maybe.  

For vacation this year we are planning a trip to Oregon to visit friends probably in the summer.  This will be my son’s first visit, he’s always super excited to visit new places.  The coast was actually the first trip J and I took together a month after we started dating.  Now it is like we will have our own tour guide.  

I’ll project recap next time.  I’ve made a handful of knitted stuff and found out some new tips and tricks as I was working along.  A lot of things are connecting and starting to make more sense.

Cheers to a great new year!🥂🍾