Sidetracked

Normally I'm really, really good about staying focused on my shopping list when it comes to buying clothing and accessories.  The only shoes on my fall shopping list are a pair of brown pumps and a pair of black ballet flats, because my current pairs are falling apart, to the point that I don't think they can effectively be repaired.

Not too long ago a DSW opened up about 20 minutes from where I live, and I decided I want to check them out and see if I can find any good deals.  I still haven't gone there in person, but during my lunch break today I decided to check out their website and get an idea of what I might find there. 

And wouldn't you know, the shoes that caught my eye were nowhere near what I was looking for?

I have absolutely no immediate need for these shoes, but I can't help but feel that I would wear them an awful lot if they were in my closet!  And while my plain brown pumps are on their last leg, I DO have a pair of brown, tweed pumps that have hints of white and orange, are still in perfect condition, and are perfect for fall...

So what do you think?  Should I abandon my plan of buying boring, plain brown pumps and go for these instead??

P.S.  I've decided to play around with my blog's layout a bit.  Please don't be alarmed by frequent changes over the next few days! ;-)

Jewelry Display Sneak Peak

Today I mailed out two more applications for craft shows.  One of them is juried, it's only the second juried craft show I've applied for so far.  I'm nervous!!!

Anyway, the application for that show requested photos not just of individual pieces, but also of our display.

As you'll recall, I picked up some new pieces for my display recently, including new jewelry stands and a new mirror.  Also, last week my wonderful father-in-law built a couple of risers for me, which will work wonders in making my display more versatile.

But, this also means all the photos I have from previous shows are outdated.  So yesterday I set up a somewhat scaled-back version of the new display in my dining room and had a little photo session.

Check it out:



I love that I can work more vertical display elements in beause of the risers!

Extreme close-up of the new mirror!

This shot mostly shows off the color scheme of my dining room. 

And I just realized I need to straighten that picture.  Oops.

So, what do you think?  Any thoughts or suggestions?? 

Office Clean-up

One of my biggest obstacles to productivity is a messy workspace, and recently my office has been getting out of control.  (Well, by my standards, at least.  The photos that follow don't show as dramatic a difference as I'd hoped, so maybe it was mostly in my head!)

 BEFORE

Ok, so I'm sure most of you have seen worse, but this situation was starting to drive me crazy!  I've had my laptop since June, but the old computer is still just sitting there under my desk, not doing anything but taking up precious space and creating a giant tangle of wires.  Until recently, the old monitor was on top of the desk as well (also doing nothing but taking up space), but my husband borrowed it so he could edit some footage for an upcoming show. There were papers strewn about my desk, as well as 2 pairs of shoes, a sewing kit and a bag full of earring cards on the floor, and don't even get me started on the bookcase!

AFTER

 

I think moving the computer (which, for the moment at least, is just sitting up against the wall on the other side of the room, but is still out of my actual work space) made the biggest difference.  Straightening up the stuff on the bookcase so it wasn't quite so haphazard was a big help, too.  And I made slightly better use of the cork board by putting more papers up there.


Oh, and remember this post, where I talked about the things I wanted to add to my display, including a new mirror that was both cuter and takes up less space on the table than the old one?  Well, I decided to go ahead and buy it, and it was 50% off! When it's not being used for shows, it will reside on my desk along side the dress form necklace stand and one of the centerpieces I made for a friend's bridal shower back in May.

Now here's hoping I can keep it looking this nice. ;-)

Grizzly Pear

One of my absolute favorite restaurants in downtown Easton is the Third Street Cafe, and tonight I decided to attempt to recreate one of my favorite sandwiches: The Grizzly Pear.

I had to tweak it a bit, but it was still quite tasty. 

At the restaurant they put the sandwich on a Portuguese roll, but they were out of those at the grocery store, so I substituted with bolillo rolls instead.  I also opted to make my version of the sandwich open-faced.

After cutting the rolls in half, I sliced up some brie and a peeled Bartlett pear and arranged the cheese and pears on the rolls.  Then I drizzled a little honey on top and added just a tiny bit of ground pepper.  Then I put the sandwiches in the oven heated to 350 degrees for about 7 minutes.

Next time I make these, I'll leave them in the oven for a bit longer, maybe 10-12 minutes.  And there will definitely be a next time. :-)

Of course, this isn't going to stop me from going to the Third Street Cafe on a fairly regular basis.  The Grizzly Pear was easy to replicate, but I'm not even going to attempt to touch their sweet potato cake, because I know none of my efforts will even begin to measure up.  Seriously, if you ever eat at the Third Street Cafe, do yourself a favor and leave room for a slive of that cake. ;-)

So Much to Do...

... and for a change I actually feel like I have time to do it all!

Despite the fact that I didn't have much time to devote to the jewelry business over the summer, I've managed to get a relatively early start on the fall craft show season.

I already have 3 shows scheduled, you can find the details on my website. My goal is to do 2-3 shows per month between October and December. I want to make a decent amount of sales, but I also don't want to do a show every single weekend and end up too exhausted to enjoy the holidays, either!

I'm also giving a lot of thought to how I'm going to display everything. I think I may need to build some sort of a riser for the back of my table. Typically, my setup is something along these lines:


But I really think I'd like to have the necklace and earring stands along the back set up higher so I can get more creative with the stuff up front without worrying about blocking everything in the back.

I'm a big fan of this cute little dress form jewelry holder from Hobby Lobby:


I picked one up last week, and I think I may get another one. They be perfect for displaying necklaces like these, since they don't really need to lay flat for the customer to get an idea of what they look like.

While I was at Hobby Lobby, there was an incredibly cute little mirror that caught my eye. It would take up considerably less space than the one I've been using, and it better matches my jewelry's personality, if that makes sense. Unfortunately I can't seem to find a picture of it on the internet, but I will post some pictures if I decide to buy it!

I hope you're all having a wonderful Labor Day weekend! I'll be spending this evening at my parents' house for a little cookout, then it's back to the grind tomorrow morning. ;-)