Crafty Resolutions

I'm not one for New Years resolutions. In fact, I'm opposed to them. I've read far too much about how often one actually keeps a resolution (coughnevercough), so I never make any. However, I do have some goals for 2009 regarding crafts and my business. Here are a few.

1. Grow my business. I need to do this either by putting more effort into my Etsy shop or by finding consignment opportunities. Eek! Scary!
2. Learn new skills. I want to make my sewing machine my bitch in 2009. I'm definitely still its bitch at this point. I also want to start making body products, crochet an afghan, and learn more bookbinding techniques.
3. Improve the Disciples of Etsy team. As a new team leader, I have a ton of ideas, but I've yet to do anything. I want to make the team more useful to its members.
4. Set up my studio. That room is a total mess! I bought some more organizers at Target, and as soon as I have a couple of free hours, I'm gonna go crazy in there. We also need to get some bookshelves.

Those are the main goals. I know others will pop up, but these will do for now. What goals do the rest of you have for the New Year?

Oklahoma Today

If you live in the service area of Oklahoma Today magazine, check out the latest issue. Why, you ask? Because four members of the Disciples of Etsy Oklahoma Street Team are featured! How great is that? One of them is my very dear, very talented friend, GemsByEm. This isn't a free publication like Oklahoma or Urban Tulsa Weekly, so you'll have to plunk down a couple of bucks for a copy, but it's worth it to support something that's supporting us indie artists. For a screencap of the feature, click here (thanks, Elizabeth!). Also, be sure to check out each of the shops mentioned: GemsByEm, KeysAndMemories, TeterDesigns, and Revamped.

Congrats, ladies and gentlemen! You all truly deserve it.

All I want for Christmas ...

is peace, love, understanding, and all those goodies. Failing that, anything from this Etsy mini would be just lovely:





Have a safe and happy holiday to everyone, no matter what you celebrate!

My head is a garden

There's another flower perched lovingly atop my head today, and once again it came from Miss Sweetheartville.

See how festive this one is? I know you all love the goofy faces. :)

I just spent the last couple of hours preparing for our agency's holiday party. The food should arrive in 45 minutes. Woo hoo! We get out early today, too, so once I'm done chowing down, I'll be off to buy more gifts.

I hope you all have a loverly Friday!

I'm blooming!

I'm wearing a wonderful hair ornament made by Holly of Sweetheartville today. Isn't it the cutest?

She traded me it and a couple more for a pair of custom earrings. We had the Tulsa Craft Mafia holiday party last night, and Holly was one of our lovely guests. It looks like our group may be expanding. I think that sounds lovely.

Tonight I'm painting faces at a party for kids being thrown by my day job. I can make jewelry, but paint or draw? Not so much. I hope there won't be any mirrors for the kids to see themselves!

It's a girl!

No, not for me. My friend Kayla is having a little girl. I'm so excited! It will be years -- well, it better be! -- before my siblings reproduce, and Kayla has none, so I get to be a surrogate aunt. Hurray! She and her husband had been calling the baby Peanut until they found out the sex today, so I plan to make her an ornament shaped like a peanut. I haven't decided how, though. Should it be beaded? Crocheted? Paper crafted? Something else? If anyone has ideas, please let me know. Yay for babies!

Speaking of which, tonight is the Tulsa Craft Mafia's holiday party. I'm hoping for an appearance from my favorite three-month-old dude. We'll see. :)

Kid pictures

Sorry for the silence, folks. I've been enjoying my lack of busy-ness (which probably correlates directly to my lack of business), so I haven't had much to say. Sunday was a bizarre day. The temperature peaked at 75 degrees F and then fell 50 degrees by nightfall. We're now icy and snowy here in Tulsa. Before the ickies headed in, I did take the kids for a fun photo session. Wanna see the pictures? You do? That's great!

I ordered individual shots of all the kids and then two group shots. My dad and Jo will get a set and my grandmother will get another. Talk about saving money on holiday gifts. Here's what they will receive (click pictures for larger image):

And here are my two favorite "outtakes":

These are all the unedited versions. The printed ones are properly cropped and such. I got the prints today after ordering them yesterday on Walgreens' Web site. They aren't the fanciest prints ever, but for the speed and price -- $15 for 9 5x7s and 2 8x10s -- they are well worth it. I plan to rummage around dollar stores and Goodwill for frames. Fun! I'll probably also get Jo and Dad a gift certificate to a restaurant for Christmas/Hanukkah, and I will take Jacob and Kaity (the older kids) to the Globetrotters game in January. Sarah is still a mystery. Only two weeks left to decide!

I hope you're all enjoying the holidays. I'm getting over my grumpies by crafting a little and buying gifts for people in need. That's my favorite part of the season.