Monday, December 31, 2007

Bruce Jenner

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Okay, this is a little mean. But the caption is so damn funny, I have to share it.


Bruce Jenner made girls swoon in the '70s ...




... and now he looks like an old lesbian.

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Sunday, December 30, 2007

To Do List

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I love a good To Do List. Except this site promotes handwriting your list the old fashioned way. Not me, I'm Electronic Girl wherever possible. I'm currently using a Yahoo Widget version that I'm quite happy with.



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Saturday, December 29, 2007

Sweet Knitting

.During my lunch hours I've been listening to an interview on Craft Sanity with fiber artist Betz White. She makes art out of recycled thrift store sweaters and had a pile of the ribbed parts left over. She said she was reading to her son, both of them just about asleep, when the cupcakes vision came to her. They are pincushions so they are practical as well as purty! She made 2 dozen for an art fair she was about to participate in and sold out of them within a couple of hours. They've been her biggest seller ever since.

Then she branched off into these cups. Love them. The handle is made from knitted cording, the kind you make in a spool. I know Gretchen and I had one as a kid - it was fun! Now they have them with a crank handle, called a Cool Corder. Seems like that kind of takes the fun out of it but definitely faster.



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Thursday, December 27, 2007

On My Desk

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I love sites like On My Desk: Creative Folk Share the Stuff on their Desks. Sort of feeds my love of autobiographies and biographies. I even saw a studio beagle! Most of these people seem to be illustrators. Most spaces are colorful and chaotic, um, I mean, busy, always a work in progress.

~ ~ ~

The holiday season socializing has come to an end; now it's back to our regularly scheduled homebody life. Steve and I went out to dinner at Chili's last night with his mom and his sister, who returns to Colorado today. Then we saw Charlie Wilson's War. Tom Hanks and Phillip Seymour Hoffman were both outstanding. They are both in my top ten actors so it was fantastic to see them together. It was a good movie.

This should be a big catch up weekend, mostly paperwork-wise, though Steve and I plan to spend Saturday morning working on the beginning stages of our basement re-org. But it will be nice to have zero commitments. We both have to work Monday, then have Tuesday off, of course. We both feel like New Year's Day is such a freebie holiday since we don't really celebrate it. We might get wild and crazy and stay up until midnight but I wouldn't bet on it.

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Waterworks

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This is a fuller explanation of the donation I made this Christmas in honor of my family. I'm writing about it here because I wasn't able to say all I wanted to them on Christmas Day. I was kind of teary as it was. (Gretchen, I don't mean to upset you. I think it's just stuff in my head that needs to come out.)

I think I mentioned in another post that in years past I have tailored my donation to the person I'm honoring. This year I had my heart set on Fisher House. It's very similar to the Ronald McDonald Houses that I mentioned before- but this is where families stay while their military loved ones undergo treatment. I found them through some research I did about The Center for the Intrepid, which was a result of catching the very tail end of a news story last January about the opening of a state of the art rehab center.

In January 2007, the Fund completed construction of a $40 million world-class state-of-the-art physical rehabilitation center at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. The “Center for the Intrepid” serves military personnel who have been catastrophically disabled in operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and veterans severely injured in other operations and in the normal performance of their duties. The 60,000 square foot Center provides ample space and facilities for the rehabilitation needs of the patients and their caregivers. It includes state-of-the-art physical rehabilitation equipment and extensive indoor and outdoor facilities. The Center is co-located with two 21-room Fisher Houses that house the families of patients (www.fisherhouse.org).

I swear I only saw 30 seconds of the news story but the pictures of the severely wounded and burned men and women brought me to tears instantaneously. Blew me away. I place full blame on the Bush administration for the way the news has been so sanitized. Everyone needs to see photographs of horribly wounded military personnel. Everyone should watch Alive Day on HBO. (I'm not sure you should watch it, Gretchen. I was almost afraid to, not sure how it would affect me.) It's shocking and uplifting all at the same time. It absolutely touched me.

In a war that has left more than 25,000 wounded, ALIVE DAY MEMORIES: HOME FROM IRAQ looks at a new generation of veterans. Executive Producer James Gandolfini interviews ten Soldiers and Marines who reveal their feelings on their future, their severe disabilities and their devotion to America. The documentary surveys the physical and emotional cost of war through memories of their "alive day," the day they narrowly escaped death in Iraq.

This is the stuff I can't stop thinking about. Thanks to better equipment and modern battlefield medicine, there are far fewer dead and injured in the Iraq war than the war in Vietnam - but the injuries they do survive are much more severe. Limb amputation, burns and to me the worst, brain injury.

Before I had made my donation to either FisherHouse.org or The Center for the Intrepid, an email from Gretchen arrived, announcing that when she runs her first half-marathon in May, she's doing it on behalf of the Semper Fi Fund.

Your donation will be used to help provide financial assistance and quality of life solutions to Marines and Sailors injured in combat and training, or those with life threatening illnesses. The Semper Fi Fund also assists the families of these brave service members by helping to defray the expenses incurred during hospitalization, rehabilitation, travel and recovery. We are also proud to assist other service members injured while in direct support of Marine units and their families.

Bingo - perfect! So that's where Simon and I made our 2007 donation. It serves the purpose I wanted to support and it supports Gretchen and something that's close to her heart. (Please, join me in supporting Gretchen. If just a handful of my lovely readers donate a little something, I know we can help her exceed her goal. You can do so by going here, to Gretchen's Semper Fi page.)

The reason I got so teary in trying to explain all this to my family is obvious I suppose. But sometimes my mind just goes down that road. What if Nick gets injured? I know he'd eventually be like the heroes in the James Gandolfini interviews - stoic and accepting. But I know initially it would break Gretchen's heart, which would break my heart. It would break my parents' hearts, which would break my heart See how I get going?? Ultimately we'd get through it, all of it, all of us, however one does that.

It feels like I'd still be moved to support these organizations that are supporting so many of our country's heroes, but I can't deny that having an active Marine in the family sure puts a personal touch on it.

So that's that. I just wanted to put a plug in for these amazing organizations - that's the real purpose of this post, I think.

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Wednesday, December 26, 2007

My Family Rocks It

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How outstanding is my family? I've mentioned previously that for 3 years now, we've offered donations in honor of each other with a small gift or two to open on Christmas. It's totally changed our Christmas. This year, in spite of being crazy busy with Pine Tree Designs doing so well, in spite of my nephew Nick being in Iraq, it's been the best, most relaxed, most meaningful, happiest Christmas I've ever had.

From Mom & Dad:

A donation to the Ronald McDonald House, a place near & dear to my heart, where I volunteered for 9 years. This was noted in a computer designed card Mom made.

A framed piece of original paper art that I picked out at one of the craft shows I participated in. I'll post it another time and explain about it.

A handcrafted potholder (purchased at a craft show).

Mom made me a flag to hang on the front of my house. It's something I've always wanted to make myself but just haven't made the time to do it. There is sooo much cool fabric at JoAnn's that I just love - big splashy prints, stuff that looks hand-batiked. I have a limited assortment of purchased flags but I really wanted something colorful and original. So I asked Mom to make me a flag, surprise me with the fabric. It's perfect! I'll take a photo and show you sometime.

From Dad - the promise of 3 crockpot meals over the next 3 months: pork loin with potatoes & carrots; pot roast or ribs with potatoes & carrots and corned beef with cabbage & potatoes. Steve will be out of his mind with joy when he hears this one! And I bet Simon will be stopping by our house on the days he learns one of Grandpa's crockpot meals is available. (If I tell him.)

From Gretchen - a package of handmade paper and envelopes. And a promise of one 5" x 7" photograph per month for the year, taken by her. She started me off with this close-up of cookie making in a clip-frame, so it's just the photo, speaking for itself. It's perfect.



Gretchen gave Mom a Starbucks gift card but it can only be used to buy other people coffee, anonymously preferably. She got the idea from this article in the paper the other day. (You can Google Starbucks pay it forward and get lots of hits - I just picked this one link to give you the idea, in case you didn't know about it.) If Mom feels like she can't pull it off, she can option to give the card to Gretchen who will use it for the same purpose, making sure the recipient knows the coffee is from our mom, or she'll just say, "Your Mother Loves You", which is something our mom says to us all the time. Gretchen wrote this nice note explaining all this, that made a few of us tear up. (Okay, Mom and me. Prompting my nephew Paul to say, "What's with all the water works this year??" More to follow on that tomorrow.)

Gretchen gave Dad a note with a promise of fulfilling this challenge within 1 year and to write about her experience. Gretchen's son, Nick, is in Iraq on his second tour of duty. Since Nick became a Marine, Gretchen finds any opportunity she can, most often in the Atlanta airport where she finds herself often for business, to pay for food or drink, for soldiers passing through. She's perfected the anonymous pay & scram technique. She also talks to them sometimes, making sure they remember to call their mom as soon and often as possible. So this year's challenge is to pay for a sit-down meal for a soldier or two. Sit-down is the key here. They mostly go for fast food and junk food, these men and women serving our country, returning from war. She doesn't know how she's going to do it but I know she will. The opportunity will present itself sometime and because she's looking for it, she'll be ready.

(Speaking of Gretchen's writing, she's promised to write more in her blog this year. Go bookmark it now. You'll laugh, you'll cry. I promise.)

Simon gave me a DVD player for my studio. The best part? It's one he already had and wasn't using so it didn't cost him anything. We'd talked about it a while back, then forgot about it. The other day I was about to buy one at Target for $29 when I remembered his. I suggested he give it to me for Christmas. He felt crummy about it at first but I finally convinced him I really wanted it and it's a great gift.

Simon was even willing to go in on the donation I'm making this Christmas in honor of my family. He's actually getting it, I think.

Gifts don't have to cost money. Gifts come from the heart and I've got rock star gift givers in my family. I love them.

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Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Gifts I Gave


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This is what I made for Mom for Christmas. 5" square, made with cardstock, variegated thread, tiny white seed beads and blue Swarovski crystals.


This is the mandala I made for Gretchen for Christmas. Gretchen likes retro stuff and she spends a lot of time in Florida and these colors remind me of both those things. Plus she's nuts for pink lately. She's going to hang it in her bathroom she says, which has those colors. I love this one so much I immediately started making 3 more to sell.

For the last several years I've given Dad a "Soup of the Month" gift where I make him a book of recipes that I've found on the Internet. He tells me each month which ones he wants to try. Some are keepers, some are not. Right around May, we both start losing interest in soup, as the weather gets warmer. He tries to tell everyone that I peter out and he never gets his full gift but I think I can safely shift at least some of the blame his way. Anyway, this month he asked for 3 months of soups. That, I can do. He asked Gretchen for 3 months of cookies. She is definitely one of the best cookie bakers I've run into.

I gave Simon a vacuum cleaner. He wasn't as disappointed in the vacuum cleaner as I thought he would be. That's probably because I softened the blow by including some cold hard cash. And last night I may have successfully prepared him by telling him, in response to him needling me about what I got him, that "No, I didn't get you something you want. I got you something I want you to have." And maybe he's as sick of borrowing my vacuum cleaner as I am of him borrowing it. Not even gonna mention that I have to ask him, minimum, 5 times to bring it back. Minimum.

Tomorrow I'll tell you about how hard my family rocks in the gift giving department. Rocks.

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Monday, December 24, 2007

Snowflake Card

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Here's a card I made in 2005. I made some pins with this design too. I thought maybe the pins were too big but I sold a couple this year I think. The snowflake is made with 1 die, punched 6 times. It was pretty tedious to punch with the squeeze tool but I bet it will be a whole lot easier and fun to make with my new Revolution, so I may make this one again. Those are clear crystals embellishing the ends.

I think last year was the first year I didn't even attempt to make and send holiday cards in December. In previous years I did try, with varying degrees of success. This year I've been planning to send cards in January from the gitgo. I haven't designed it yet, don't even really have any ideas. I have to think about this carefully because I send them to my entire mailing list too, not just friends and family. And with the bigger shows I did this year, my mailing list has grown by leaps and bounds. I want to make something representative of my work but not crazy labor intensive.

Today is Christmas Eve and our office is open but only a handful of people will be working and definitely not the full day. Just two others in my department besides me will be working so I wanted to do something special. I finally decided on taking in a breakfast pizza. So I text messaged both of them on their cell phones yesterday afternoon that I'm bringing breakfast pizza this morning and that they can leave at 2:00.

Usually we play the leaving early thing by ear but I figured how nice to be able to plan one's afternoon. I picked 2:00 because that's the time Steve said he's telling his people to go home. Works for me! Steve's extended family is coming over for dinner, 18 people are invited but it's unlikely all of them will show up, but close. I'm making Sweet & Sour Meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Other people are bringing stuff. I made a dessert too, even though one other person is bringing one, I wanted to be sure we had enough. Steve and I tested it last night, pretty good. Here's the recipe. (Note that it says it makes 60 bars. Out of a 9" x 13" pan. I'm no mathematician but those are some tiny bite-size pieces!)

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Estimated Times: Preparation - 15 min | Cooling Time - 1 hrs refrigerating | Yields - 60 bars (5 dozen)

Ingredients

* 2 cups peanut butter, divided
* 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
* 2 cups powdered sugar
* 3 cups graham cracker crumbs
* 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Morsels, divided

Directions
GREASE 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

BEAT 1 1/4 cups peanut butter and butter in large mixer bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in 1 cup powdered sugar. With hands or wooden spoon, work in remaining powdered sugar, graham cracker crumbs and 1/2 cup morsels. Press evenly into prepared baking pan. Smooth top with spatula.

MELT remaining peanut butter and remaining morsels in medium, heavy-duty saucepan over lowest possible heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Spread over graham cracker crust in pan. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until chocolate is firm; cut into bars. Store in refrigerator.

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Sunday, December 23, 2007

Bottle Tree

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(Click photo to enlarge.)
A friend emailed this to me. I couldn't find a source online for it to credit it. I wonder what the value is - besides the beer bottles, having the glass disks cut to size. Pretty cool.
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Saturday, December 22, 2007

Pine Tree Designs for 2008

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A few weeks ago I gave my 60 day notice that I would not be renewing my lease at the Enchanted Rose Garden. I've been there since August and while my sales have been decent every month, I've decided the working-a-shift requirement just doesn't fit in with my life these days. I've made some nice money this holiday season but factoring in whatever dollar value I want to put on my 7-8 hours month working at the store, it doesn't seem profitable enough to continue. I was looking forward to year-round sales but I'm not confident I would be profitable enough there year round, with the shift work factored in.

When I gave Eileen my notice, I think she was surprised but she understood. So giving my required 60 day notice means January will be my last month. And I'm exercising my option of paying for my shifts for December and January, rather than working them so that's a load off my mind.

But wait there's more! Today I had an email from Eileen suggesting I consider staying on, on a consignment basis. She said, "People have been very excited to see your things this holiday season and they have been selling well." So I'll have to redo my pricing since the store will be taking a cut. Still, this is a win/win. I really like being able to say my stuff is available in 3 stores - especially this one, that's local and popular.

Steve built me a spreadsheet that allows me to track my true cost of each piece I make. The one unknown, if you will, is of course, my time. I reviewed several products recently and I will be raising my prices just slightly in 2008.

One of the smartest things I did at the end of this year, at Dad's suggestion, was include sales tax in my prices at craft shows. It saves me so much time computing that - and making change. Everything has been rounded up or down to make it easier. Thanks again Dad!

I've been thinking about my Pine Tree Designs goals for 2008. I've had the same sales goal for 3 years. In 2005, I was 40% there. In 2006, I was 53% there. In 2007 to date, I overshot it by 16%. Now that's what I'm talking about! I haven't decided on my sales goal for 2008 yet.

I did 6 craft shows in 2006. I wanted to double that for 2007 but I only did 10, except some of them were bigger shows so I'm happy with 10. I know of 10 shows I want to do in 2008, which is dropping 1 show and adding 1 bigger show, Gro-Moore Farms. I would be happy if I did those 10 shows - I want to do them bigger and better this year, meaning be as prepared as I can possibly be with lots of product available. No last minute scrambling. I don't even know if that's totally possible. I'm one of those people that the more I do, the more I think I can do.

I think if I do those 10 shows, continue with the 1 wholesale gig I have (Artizanns in Naples), and the 2 consignment stores (Valentown Museum, which is seasonal, and the Enchanted Rose Garden in Penfield) - and do it all really well, I'll be happy for 2008.

So my goal for 2008 is to do 2007 again, but better. Then I'll come up with new goals for 2009.

Since this was my first really big holiday season for Pine Tree Designs, one of the biggest lessons I learned was to make sure I get what little personal holiday prep I do, done before the shows begin. As I mentioned in the last entry, I almost forgot about Simon's stocking and just yesterday I remembered I have a new niece to include this year! Yikes.

I learned two new skills this year. One is to get into Singular Focus Mode. When I'm going hot and heavy on making product, I've seen how much I can accomplish. It was a challenge at first, but now I just do it. It's cool.

The other thing is how fast I eat dinner now so I can start stitching. Steve and I always eat dinner in front of the TV, watching one of our Tivoed shows. I typically eat less than Steve does but still, I'm always done before him and start stitching while he finishes eating and until the show ends. I noticed this recently when I took "the girls" in our department out to lunch the other day for a holiday celebration. I was the first one done eating - and 3 other people had the exact same size lunch as I did. I must have really been shoveling it in and didn't even notice until the end! I probably do that when I eat at my desk too. I eat my lunch while surfing the net, then I stitch for the remaining time.

We ended up working a full day yesterday but as I mentioned yesterday, I know Monday will be a short day for those of us who have to work. My boss is off, not that that makes any difference. I told him the 3 of us weren't working all day and he was fine with it.

I finalized my recipes for tonight and Christmas Eve and Day last night and made my grocery list. I set the alarm for 6:00 this morning but got up around 5:30. I had a leisurely morning, getting to the grocery store around 7:00. It was slightly more crowded than usual for that hour and getting more so by the time I left. Good move on my part. Glad that's done.

I have a bunch of things to do around the house this weekend but I'm considering it an old fashioned "Stefani Weekend", doing what I want, when I want. Life is good.

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Friday, December 21, 2007

Wreath

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I made this last year with the intention of making them for this year's holiday collection. But they are quite labor intensive obviously, so in my usual time crunch mode, I didn't make any at all. I just love it though so I'll have to work it into 2008 for sure. I finished my Christmas orders earlier this week and have been going in to work as early as 6:00 some days but I wanted to post something Christmasy today and I ran across this.

I've been going in to work early in an attempt to make a dent in the workload but also to bank some hours for early dismissal days during this holiday season. Not sure what today will bring but I'm 99% positive most of us will scoot out early on Monday. There will only be a handful of us working anyway.

Steve's family is coming to our house for dinner Monday night so my plan is to go grocery shopping at the crack of dawn tomorrow to get all that shopping stuff out of the way. We're going to his brother's for dinner Saturday night and I have been assigned an appetizer so I'll surf the web for a new recipe at lunch today. It also dawned on me the other night that I have nothing for Simon's stocking yet. Oops - glad I remembered!

I'm posting this from my desk at work - so better get busy.

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Monday, December 17, 2007

Purple & Green x 2

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This one is for an order, a 5" x 5" version of a 7" x 7" piece on Pine Tree Designs. I had to change the pointy outside edge to a scalloped one to fit.


This is a variation on the above theme I made at the same time. I emailed jpgs of both of them to the customer so she can choose.

I also finished up an order for Helen which I'll ship on my way to work this morning. I finished up Mom's Christmas cards which was a breeze because she stitched them herself! What a pal, she is, my mom. Right now I'm assembling 17 Sticky Notes for Steve to give as gifts to his co-workers. What a nice promoter he is, huh? I have one more small order I just remembered about, for a fellow vendor.

We had lots of snow here this weekend so it was a great weekend to stay in and be productive. Steve and I are going to ride into work together this morning since we work very close to each other and his vehicle has 4-wheel drive. I think the roads are fairly clear though. Then tonight we pick up his mom, then go to the airport to pick up his sister, flying in from Colorado for Christmas. I'm getting a massage after work on Wednesday and our work holiday party is Thursday at 4:00-until. (Until, meaning about 5:00 for me, party animal that I am.)

Should be a good week. Hope yours is too.

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Thursday, December 13, 2007

Orange You Glad?

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For an order for another good friend, Linda.

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Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Green & Copper Part II

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4-1/4" x 5-1/2", made with cardstock, copper metallic thread, green variegated thread, seed beads and a Swarovski crystal.

I made this for my good friend Pam to use as a wedding card for her daughter. As a bonus, I get to have breakfast with her Saturday so I can give it to her. Score!

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Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Green & Copper Part I

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5" x 5", made with cardstock, copper metallic thread, green variegated thread and beads.

This the card I made for our CEO, whose birthday is today. Yes, I bake him brownies too. It sure is nice having a stockpile of stitched parts so I can throw together cards quickly. That's a lot of stitching on that outside ring - usually reserved for framed pieces where I can get my money's worth. Hey, I figure if you're gonna suck up, it might as well be to the CEO, right?

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Monday, December 10, 2007

Two New Frames

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Sunday was all about assembly. I put together these two 5" x 5" framed pieces for Mom to give as gifts to her cleaning ladies. I wasn't sure about that purple one at first but Mom loved it and now that I see it again today to post it, I like it too.

My customer came over at 10:00 yesterday morning to discuss some custom pieces. One is a 12" x 12" framed piece she's buying for herself so I can do that one in January (along with another one that size I took an order for at the museum show). I have a few cards and a 5" x 5" framed piece to make for her for Christmas though. She's deaf but she speaks and I wrote stuff down. She's very nice - and placed a nice order.

Then I put together 12 Sticky Notes in reds & greens. I called the customer who ordered those at the museum show and she changed her mind. Not to worry, I used them for the wholesale order that I shipped on my way to work this morning. That order is for 20 so I put together 8 more.

I have other orders to finish before Christmas but I feel a whole lot better about things today than I did yesterday morning. I worked from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm, taking meal breaks. I still haven't read the Sunday paper. Or grocery shopped. God bless PB & J.

I'd heard from another vendor at the School 46 craft show about a craft show at the new artist lofts downtown, Station 55, but I couldn't find anything in the paper about it. I was going to go down anyway just to see - and half-hoping I could get a look at the lofts. I'd read about the lofts in the Sunday paper a few weeks ago and said to Steve, "If I had a different life right now, I would live there in a heartbeat!" I said that to a couple of other vendors recently and they all agreed. Seems really cool - and affordable from what the newspaper article said.

There are 17 lofts with artist retail space below on the first floor. I don't know how that part will work and even that part isn't where I am at as an artist career-wise at the moment but I still want to see it. Anyway, I decided not to go yesterday because I really needed the time to work on orders. Then, I found the Station 55 website, which sort of satisfied my curiosity about the lofts. I could SO live there! Modern, uncluttered, lots of space, giant windows. The part about "modern Ikea furnishings" certainly didn't hurt.

Don't get me wrong, my life is really good.

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Sunday, December 09, 2007

Winter Pins

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I finally got the new Pins uploaded to the Pine Tree Designs website. Having that Halloween pin on the front page was bugging the living crap out of me. I wish I could update my website more than I do. A stagnant website is so amateurish. I envision a big overhaul in January. Not design, just product. Anyway, there they are, $3.50 - $4.00 each.

I am so backed up on orders but today is my best day to get caught up. Yesterday, I went to The Enchanted Rose Garden an hour before they opened and put all my show leftovers in my rental space there. I wish I had a few more Sticky Notes, but overall, I'm happy with the quantity of everything. This weekend is Penfield's big tree-lighting holiday shopping event so I'm glad I was able to get that stuff in there in time.

I spent the rest of the day cleaning up my studio. I know I say this all the time, but it was such a frenzied mess! I think it was actually flavoring the rest of my life - I was feeling a little depressed actually. I didn't want to be in there and it's my favorite room of the house! I recycled a mountain of cardboard from boxes of recent shipments and old storage boxes. I reorganized the closet with some plastic drawers, neatly labeled of course. They hold my various frames, which were getting out of control stacked on the shelf.

This closet organizing paraphernalia was in each closet of the house when we bought it. I started realizing how much space was wasted in my studio because I'm obviously not hanging clothes. My recent plan was to take all this out and fill the closet with adjustable shelves. Then I realized I just needed to go vertical in some of the clothes hanging spots. I'm still not using every inch of space but this is good for now. I may still do the adjustable shelves at some point, when I feel I have the time for a big project.

Back to work, y'all.

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Thursday, December 06, 2007

Red & Green

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7" x 7" flat card for an order I took at the museum show.

I still haven't had time to clean up my studio - been extra busy working on filling orders. Then Artizanns (store in Naples) ordered 20 Sticky Notes yesterday. She just bought 15 a couple of weeks ago - this is her 4th order with me! I love that store so I'm very happy to be doing well there. I was supposed to have a dozen snowman pins done for my massage therapist today but that didn't happen because I remembered the above piece that was needed by yesterday literally. I left her voice mail yesterday that I could deliver it tonight or Saturday, whatever worked for her. I'm really happy with the way it turned out - hope she likes it.

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