Laughing At Myself....

Why am I laughing? Because this latest collection on my latest promoted items CLEARLY shows the difference between items I've recently renewed - and items I've taken new photos with my light box! Ah well.

So here's my plan. I have a lot of inventory (a lot) between my two shops. For Etsy I'm going to slowly replace the photos by rephotographing items whenever they come up for relisting. For Artfire, since items don't expire, I'm going to alternate between one new listed item, and retaking the photos for two old items. It'll probably take me a few months, but hey, at least this way I won't get stressed out! That's really important with the way my lungs have been misbehaving lately.

Anyway, you know the drill, tell me which piece(s) are your favorite(s) and why and I'll give you an extra entry into my Top Commentators Contest!

Renewing Frenzy!

I haven't been feeling too good the last few days, and that meant my shop got quite neglected! I had a whole bunch of items expire because I didn't renew them (I generally renew on the date they are going to expire), so today I had a renewing frenzy! Here's most of them...tell me your favorite and get an extra entry into the Top Commentators contest!

On a Friday Afternoon...

I'm starting a new series called "Coins around the World!" I'm really excited about it - and it's definitely going to be challenging. This is the first time I've tried to "capture" an item with beads, and it was a lot of work! I'm actually going to tear this first attempt out and re-do it (multiple reasons) but that's ok, I learned a lot!

I also wanted to show some of my recently promoted items - you know the drill - tell me your favorites and get an extra entry into my top commentators contest!

It's that Time Again :)

Time to show off some of my latest listings and relistings :) I always love seeing these mosaics put together, seeing what I've put up recently. Ok, sometimes I feel a little sick of them from promoting them over and over, but usually I enjoy it! You know the drill - you get an extra entry into my Top Commentators contest if you tell me which item is your favorite and why :)

Hemp Bracelet Club - Only Available Until February 12th

Did you like the idea of my earring club that I did last month? Well this month its a new club! I'm just a wee bit late at getting it started cuz *cough* life got in the way! It's up and running now though! Just $55 for 6 bracelets over the next 6 months! What a deal eh? You can find it here in my Artfire shop or here in my Etsy shop. I'd love to brighten up your mail box for the next 6 months with lovely bracelets!

One Day at a Time...

It's been an interesting couple of weeks - but I'm getting there - one day and one hour at a time! I've managed to do some promoting and listing recently - and here's what I've done! Tell me what's YOUR favorite and get an extra entry into my Top Commentators contest :).

On a Roll!

I've been on a roll lately with listing and renewing items - but not so much with blogging. Funny how the two seem to switch places from time to time eh? Well part of the problem was that I couldn't seem to log into byhand.me, which is where I create the spotlights that I use in my treasury blog and when I show of my latest listings on this blog. I finally thought to try clearing my browsing history and that let me access the site again! Woohoo! So your going to get TWO spotlights of my latest listings and such :D

Don't forget this is the last day to earn entries in my Top Commentators Contest for this month. How does that work? Simple, just read my posts and leave me comments! So if your behind on your reading, today's the day to catch up! I'll be announcing the winners tomorrow! Also, leave in your comment today which of the listings I'm showing is your favorite and you'll get an extra entry into the contest!

Oh yes - and don't forget - all my shops have free shipping through the end of December - worldwide!

Middle of the Night Ramblings

Good morning! Erm. Middle of the night? (and yes I did TRY to sleep) Or how about whatever time it happens to be there? *giggles* Ok, it's just after 1am so I'm a wee bit silly right now, so this post might also be a wee bit silly, but I'm WIDE awake for some unknown reason so what else is there for me to do other than blog all about bazaar and the rambling thoughts running through my head?

I did a bazaar today (well technically yesterday since it's now early Sunday), and I had a blast! Sales weren't stellar, but I had a lot of fun! I remembered my camera - but I forgot to take any pictures. Bad Ruthie, I know.

Mom went with me on this bazaar and she sold a couple of her items and even got a custom order! That was really exciting for her :) She's decided that crafting to sell isn't for her, so after the holiday's we're going to be closing down Kindred Spirit Treasures. You may notice I'll be moving my charms into my jewelry shops on Etsy and Artfire, and you'll be seeing a huge sale in KST as we get closer to Christmas! I'll keep you posted - don't worry!

One thing I loved about this bazaar, even though I could have asked for more sales, was that there was definitely plenty of foot traffic. I got to have lots and lots of great conversations, both with other vendors, and with the people walking through. I'm a people person, and I thrive off of interactions like that!

Plus I heard a lot of people saying they weren't quite ready to shop for Christmas yet, which is weird to me, but I guess that's a reflection on the current economic situation. I don't really think that the lack of sales I had were a reflection on my art, it was reflection of the economy in general. Most of the people today were looky-loos. The others I got comfortable enough to ask said that their sales we're about the same as mine.

I did get several people who said that they were really excited that I'd be back because they were planning on shopping more next month! I take that as a very promising sign. I also had a gal who will hopefully be sending me information so I can do a custom order for her. To top it all off, I was originally only going back one weekend next month and it now looks like I'm almost definitely going to be able to do 2 weekends next month at this venue! Woohoo!

What else am I excited about? Well I can't precisely tell you, because it's a surprise, but I can tell you that assuming all goes well I'll be doing the big reveal on the 1st! I've been doing a lot of talking with some people I trust (gotta love Mom's and friends who are willing to listen to you hammering out your ideas) and I'm really excited!

I'm also happy because my health has been showing signs of slow but steady improvement and if this trend continues (Lord willing) I have a lot of ideas that I'm working on developing. I'm dreaming big I'm hoping to find ways to continue building my business through a variety of venues. So far, so good! I'm seeing slow but steady progress there too.

Catching Up :)

This has been a crazy week. I started out on a roll, listing, blogging, promoting, and even some sales! Then I had what felt like a million doctors appointments, and then I got attacked by the migraine monster and it nearly ate me alive! I don't like the migraine monster...

The good news is so far today the migraine monster is staying away and I can start catching up on life! Woohoo! So I've been checking in with my teams, responding to e-mails, and of course promoting like crazy :D

I do plan on getting my Crafty ADD post up later but I need to clean my kitchen and get my laundry started... So for now I just want to show some of the listings of either relisted or listed for the first time before I crashed last week :D Tell me which one is your favorite and get an extra entry into the Top Commentators contest!

Lots Going On!

So much going on! I've been promoting like crazy - both for myself - and passing on the fantastic finds I see out there! Plus I have some ideas... Working to develop them but I can't let the cat out of the bag yet! Anyway, here's some of my latest items :) You know the drill, let me know your favorite and get an extra entry into the Top Commentator Contest!

Oh - and I also added some new items to my clearance section - so go check it out!

FREE SHIPPING for the Holiday's!

*Phew* It's been a LONG day! Yesterday we pretty much a wipe out because I had a migraine and I ended up sleeping for about 19 out of 24 hours. Yikes! So of course nothing got done. And this week has been a bit rough on the "getting things" done because of my sprained ankle anyway. Which in many ways has just felt not fair because it's the holiday season and I have so many ideas going through my mind! I mean I always have a million ideas going through my mind, but it's WORSE this time of year! You know what I mean? The good news is...like I said...it was a long day today and I got a lot done!

Among the many things I got done is I got all three of my shops set up for free shipping for the holiday season! So go check it out: Kindred Spirit Treasures, Rose Works on Etsy, and Rose Works on Artfire are all Free Shipping! Now through the end of December! Sweet huh? AND I have more surprises in store...just wait!

Despite the "fun" of this week, I've also managed to get some stuff listed or relisted this week! You know the drill...leave me a comment on your fav piece and get an extra entry into my top commentators contest! Woohoo! I love giving stuff away :D

Color Explodes - Finally Done!

I've been working on this piece for over a month now - and it's finally done! I can't tell you what a relief it is to have it done! Do you ever have one of those pieces that you like, but by the time it's done, your sick of working on it? Yah, that's what this piece was for me. It was a loooong, hard road to finish this, and by the time I was done I was sick of it. Then I went to go take pictures, I fell in love again!

This piece was challenging for me for a lot of different reasons. It all started with the dichroic cabochon. I actually bought it last spring, and I made several attempts to work on it, but I had never worked with a cabochon before, and the learning process took me awhile! Plus I kept getting side-tracked with other projects. I finally sat down in August and figured out what I was doing.

Once I had the cabochon set in the seed beads, I slowly started working on the actual bracelet for it. I knew I wanted something that was free form. I've only done one other free form bracelet so far (Set Me Free) and, like the last one, I found the process of creating with a pattern to be very challenging!

Then, the last step was to create the toggle, and that was hard too! Well, actually not very hard, but it's the first time I've ever created a beaded toggle and clasp, so I was nervous. The process went really smooth though, and I really like how it turned out! I think, considering how wide the cuff is, it really needed this type of clasp.

The bracelet is 8 1/2 inches long by 1 3/4 inches wide. I'm charging $85 and you can find it in either my Artfire or my Etsy shops! I named it color explodes because it's so brightly colored, and random, it was the only thing I could think of :P

I've stayed pretty busy between creating and promoting. So as if this post isn't long enough...here's some of the other items I've promoted in the last few days!

Need to Get Ready :)

Mom and I get to do a bazaar in a just two weeks! I'm really excited! I haven't done one in a loooong time. I'm hoping it goes well. I have lot to do to get ready for it. It's a relatively new bazaar, so who knows what the sales will be like, but we figured we'd give it a try since they invited us. If we do well sales-wise, then we'll sign up for some more in the next few months.

Things I need to do:

~ Try to excercise a little each day to make sure I'm strong enough for the bazaar.

~ Double check my prices, make some adjustments to my charms prices...

~ Catch up on my photography so I can tag everything to be sold.

~ Reorganize my necklaces so they are easier to pull out to display.

~ Set up my display and figure out what I need to make adjustments on.

~ Buy anything I need for the displays.

I'm so excited and nervous at the same time!

In the mean time...here's some of my latest items promoted from my shop and my Mom's shop! :) Which is your favorite? Tell me and get an extra entry in my top commentators contest!

Designing Queen!

I'm going to be a designing Queen!!!!! Ok, maybe not quite, but I can start working towards being one :P I bought a program called Bead Tool 3 yesterday, and it's for designing bead weaving projects. I'm so excited! I played around with it a little yesterday. I have a LOT to learn, but the potential is enormous! Now I need to work on the design for this months bead weavers competition...and more importantly...now I can work on it :)

Now, just so you can laugh at me, guess what the first design I actually worked up was? An image for my current cross-stitch bookmark. Yup, not good at using things for their intended uses...

I've gotten quite a few things listed this week, for once my "showing" off is mostly new items instead of relistings! Which piece is your favorite?

So Many Ideas!

I'm in one of those places again where I have WAY to many ideas to keep up with! Good thing Sharla just got me a new notebook huh? Right now I have plans for two strung necklaces, one hemp necklce, I'm working on a bead woven bracelet, I have plans for another woven necklace, I have a cabochon that I started playing with and want to finish, and I'm going to be buying a new beading program so that I can do some new design work and work out a piece that's been rattling around my brain for a few weeks now! *whew* Oh and I have a few ideas for woven earrings too!

And THAT is just the jewelry :P As you'll see when I do my Crafty ADD post - my blanket for my cousins baby is coming along nicely. I have ideas rattling around my head for future baby things I'd like to mke too... And I have ideas for several bookmarks!

Mom and I were watching this show called "She's Crafty" the other day. I think it's a local show...but it's this young woman who does all sorts of wacky craft projects. She specializes in repurposing items and "going green." Some of what she did on the episode I watched was kinda interesting, there was one project that Mom and I both agreed we could to better, and it left us both wondering how much I'd get done if I actually was healthy and energy again :P There are a lot of projects I'd never attempt right now because it simply involves too much moving around! I'd never be Martha Stewart (can't stand her style for one thing) but I'd definitely have a bunch of fun :P

Oh well, I do have fun with what I can create here and now, and it's no good to just sit and wonder "what if?" right?

Speaking of what I can create - here's the latest items promoted from my shops! Leave a comment on what's your favorite and get an extra entry into the Top Commentators contest!

Sorry...

Today's post is short and sweet. My migraine is really bad today. So I'm just doing an update on my lastest listings :) Tell me your favorite and get an extra entry into my top commentators contest!

Bead Weaving and some New Stuff :)

Ok, so I actually made this about two weeks ago, but I couldn't show it off because it was a surprise present and she reads this blog! I got the darling pattern out of a book, so it's not something I can sell in my shop, but I had a lot of fun making it anyway :D It's my first 3-D beaded project :D

Oh wait, I did some cubes once, but those barely count :P

Also wanted to show off the newest items promoted in my three shops from this last week :) Leave a comment about your favorite and get an extra point in the Top Commentators contest - and remember that this month there's an extra prize!

Weekly Special and New Items!

I used my favorite hemp knotting technique with this bracelet to form a spiraling pattern in between the beads. The black hemp forms a perfect contrast to the blue/green pony beads, for a look that will jazz up any outfit with a bit of fun! This bracelet is just barely over 6 inches long.

Normally $7 plus S&H, this week, on this blog, you can buy this bracelet for only $5.60 plus $2 shipping and handling to anywhere in the world!

I also have to show off some of my most recent listings - I've been keeping busy as always!

Which is YOUR favorite?

Earth Walker - Bead Woven Necklace - Elements Series 4

I started the Elements series about a year ago with Saffron's Firebird Necklace. Since then I've fallen in love with the pattern! I start with a Potawatomi weave base and then use netting techniques for the rest of the pattern.

It takes 4-5 hours to make one of these necklaces and hundreds of seed beads. The actual project takes longer though when you include planning, dreaming, and finding the right beads! Sometimes it's hard to find colors that work well together.

For this last piece in the Elements series, Earth Walker, I used browns and greens. To me the Earth element needs to be represented both by the actual ground itself, and the living things it nourishes. I tried to show that in the progression of colors that I chose.

The clasp was actual the hardest part of this necklace for me! I couldn't find a hook that was the right color, so I ended up making my first hook :) I bought bronze wire and played with it until it looked right.

This necklace is available in both my Etsy shop and my Artfire :)

"Past all thought of 'if' or 'when' - no use resisting"

To spice things up today - I'm offering you an opportunity for TWO extra entries into my top commentators contest today! The first is the one your used too, just tell me which item below is your favorite and why :) The second... The title of this blog post is a quote from a musical - can you tell me what musical?