Happy Thanksgiving!

Is everyone out there ready for Thanksgiving? I definitely am, although it helps that my husband and I aren't hosting this year. We'll be eating an early dinner at my parents' house, then eating a second dinner at his parents' house, but we don't have to worry about entertaining anyone, so for the most part we can just sit back and enjoy spending time with family.

Right now I am most thankful for my impending four-day weekend, which will allow me to relax after an absolutely insane 2 weeks!

I didn't actually mean to take a 2-week blogging break, but one jewelry demonstration, two craft shows, last-minute library shifts AND my regular work schedule? I didn't exactly have a lot of free time.

I finished all my craft shows for the season. Some went really well, some were kind of mediocre sales-wise, but I made a profit at all of them, and I'm significantly closer to my goal of buying a laptop to replace my dinosaur of a computer, so I really can't complain. For the rest of the holiday season I'll probably focus on bringing stuff in to either of my day jobs and bringing in custom orders for Christmas gifts.

Interesting thing I learned while doing craft shows this year: Uniqueness (or the perception thereof) really depends on context.

On Etsy, I feel like my work really doesn't stand out. Asymmetrical necklaces like those I am partial to making (especially those with a flower on the side) abound there. My jewelry is just one of many variations on the same theme.

But at local craft shows? Or at my day job(s)? I get endless compliments on how pretty and unique my jewelry is, and those asymmetical necklaces sell like hotcakes!

In fact, the ones with the antiqued brass finish, like this one?




I've had to make so many that I've run out of what previously seemed like an endless supply of that chain.
By the way, I will be running a sale both on my Etsy shop and in person during the month of December, details to follow! :-)

Cuteness!

When I got into work this morning, I logged onto my computer, checked the news, and saw a link to this story:

Nipper the tiny flipper: Ten-day-old orphan dolphin is nursed back to health

I literally squealed when I saw how cute and tiny this little dolphin is!

I am also pretty sure my coworkers now think I am crazy.

Anyway, I did a jewelry demonstration last night, and I thought it went really well. Made a decent amount of sales, took orders for some custom pieces, and a few people expressed interest in hosting parties.

My sales struck the right balance between making the evening worthwhile, yet not depleting my inventory to a point that I'd be left scrambling to replenish it before my show this Saturday (at Easton Area High School from 9:00am - 2:00pm!!).

Which is good, because I got called in for a last-minute library shift this evening, which I was totally not part of my plan for today. But who can resist making extra money doing something they love, especially when it's almost Christmas shopping season? ;-)

Speaking of which, one of my resolutions for this year is to buy as many Christmas presents as I can either from other crafters, local businesses, or Etsy shops. And in some cases, of course, make the presents myself!

Before and After

Well, it took me way longer than I would have liked, but I finally have before an after photos of my hair!

Here it is before I chopped off nearly a foot of it:


I didn't realize how red my (natural!) highlights were until I looked at this picture. (Also, my hair is crazy messy here. It was a long day and I didn't have the energy to fix it up before taking this picture.)

Here's a picture of Glen and me, all dressed up at this past weekend's wedding:


And here's a close-up of the new do:


It's funny, every time I chop off a lot of hair, every thinks I dyed it because it looks SO much darker.

And just for fun, here's a picture of Elvis, all dressed up for Halloween:


He was a big hit with the trick-or-treaters, and hopefully he made up for the fact that neither of us humans got dressed up.

The next couple of weeks are going to be kind of insane. I'm doing a jewelry demonstration this Monday, I have craft shows on November 13 and 20, plus I've been getting requests to bring my jewelry into work so folks can do some holiday shopping.

Add to that two orders for bridal party jewelry for this spring and some custom orders for Christmas, and I'm going to be a very busy bee these next couple of months!

Fortunately, I don't have much going on this weekend, so I'm going to work on making more jewelry so I'll have a decent amount of inventory for my upcoming shows.

Specific goals for the end of this year, profit-wise, include being able to buy a laptop with my Mischievous Kitty earnings (not sure how much longer my current computer is going to last!), contribute to funding two microloans on Kiva in January, and send another donation to the Dear Jack Foundation.

Here's hoping I don't neglect my blog too much for the rest of the year. ;-)

Craft Shows and Haircuts and Weddings, Oh My!

So... The craft show on Saturday went well! It was at my grade school alma mater, Saints Philip and James School. (Except when I went there it was All Saints Regional!) I sold a decent amount of jewelry, and I got to see a bunch of folks I haven't seen in a long time. It was strange to realize that I can count on one hand the teachers who are still still there since I graduated.

The week before the craft show I decided to chop all my hair off. 10" of my hair is now on its way to Pantene Beautiful Lengths. This is the third time I've donated... I get bored easily with my hair, and this gives me the opportunity for a drastic change, plus I get to contribute to a good cause.

I'd love to say I have before and after pictures to show you... I do have a "before" picture, but I've been so busy for the past week and a half that I haven't taken an "after" picture yet.

However, Glen and I are in a wedding this weekend, so I should have an "after" picture by next week.

I do have a picture of my bridesmaid dress though!



Pretty, right?

I'm excited to wear it, but I have no idea what to do with my hair.

Guess I'd better stop writing and start looking for inspiration, huh? ;-)

Still Here

Have I seriously gone more than 2 weeks without posting?

I am the worst.

During the week I've been working sooo much. Extra hours at the library, plus getting ready for fall craft shows. The first one is this weekend, I still don't feel quite ready!

Anyway, I don't have too much time right now, and my dog keeps whining at me to pay attention to him... So I'll just share this picture I took of the Empire State Building on my way home from NYC last Saturday, where I met up with some friends to go to MoMA, eat Thai food, and see my wonderful husband and our friend do stand-up at the Broadway Comedy Club!