My poor nails.

I have always been someone who has thin nails.  I've taken different supplements and altered my diet to try to strengthen them up but nothing really seems to do the trick.  I've come to the conclusion (with research of course) that my weak thin nails are just a lovely part of having an autoimmune disease and I will forever paint them with strengthening nail polish to try to keep them together.  This doesn't always work out for me and I often end up with rips and cracks in them like this lovely one on my middle finger:

Gah! This picture is actually about a month old now and that nail is finally almost back to normal but it has certainly been a pain in the bum during the grow out process! I also quickly realized that I use that finger (and nail) a heck of a lot while working on crafts and when it is split that far down it is super painful and annoying to work around. 

So now I will pass the conversation over to you (you lovely readers you) and I'd love to hear any tips or tricks you have to keep your fingers looking their best.  Do you ever get rips in your nails? Do you just attempt to superglue them and cover them in nail polish in hopes of them surviving long enough to grow out? Do you ever dabble in the fake/gel/manicure upkeep some ladies do? If you paint your nails a bold (not neutral colour) do you look down at your hands and not recognize them like I do? Inquiring minds (well mind) want to know! I figure the secret to amazing nails is out there...I am just yet to find it... 

I'd like more energy please

I already want to take a nap tomorrow.

Does anyone else out there suffer from chronic fatigue? Mine is tied in pretty tight with my series of chronic illnesses - but it can be so frustrating. I have so many crafty ideas I want to work on and zero time/energy to do them (let alone normal daily tasks like preparing food, washing my hair, and working)...  How do you deal? Any tips for me?

to market or not to market?

Why hello there lovely blog readers! Today we are going to take a wee bit of a trip back in my craft show history and I am ever hopeful that you may be able to help me with some future show dilemmas I seem to be running into! 

The first craft show I did was a tiny little show at The Streaming Arts Cafe in Kelowna (not actually pictured here). It felt like a slow day - but in hindsight was actually pretty darned successful. I then joined up for the Bizarre Bazaar at the old court house in Kamloops.  I signed up to do a ton of shows all summer long and quickly learned that 1) the wind is evil and 2) how to deal with SUPER slow days. Here's a glimpse of my original set up:

The next show I signed up for was Fabulous Finds in Kelowna and holy smokes was it ever busy! You could certainly tell there were a lot more customers with disposable income and my low price items were a hit! I made a few higher priced items to try to make the trip and hotel stay worth it and you can see how my inventory had grown with a bigger set up:

After a winter and spring round in Kelowna, I signed up for the Artisan's Square Market in Kamloops for some weekends in the summer.  It ran the same day as the Kamloops Farmer's Market but because it was just around the corner from the market masses I had quite a few slow days - but still an improvement on my original Kamloops sales.  My stock and variety of goods had increased yet again and my booth grew:

The last shows I did were part of the Bastion Square Market in Victoria and this time my booth grew to be two tables and loads of stock. Check it out:

I tried to include a lot of height and interest in my set up as you can see a bit better in this shot:

The sales varied from week to week depending on the weather and amount of tourists around but it was still a great experience.  Of all the shows I've done I definitely DO NOT enjoy battling the elements and the wind can be brutal for blowing over tall displays and light items.  I did come up with a few ways to battle high winds with super heavy tent weights, C-clamps, and other weights for the table - but still have a way to go before I hit a stress free booth.  I also realize that trying to set up and take down a giant display can be super time consuming and tricky to fit in our Mazda.

So - here's my current dilemma I'm waffling over - should I try to do the Kamloops Farmer's Market in their artisan section this year?  The market runs every Saturday from now until the fall and although there is no way I would want to do that many markets it draws a pretty big crowd as far as Kamloops goes. I also really like the idea of establishing myself in the town I will be living in for the foreseeable future and a little extra income would be great since I've been off work for so long with chronic illness.

Another big hurdle I have to come over is how to display my items more efficiently and effectively but still have them portable in a mid sized car.  If you follow me on pinterest you may have seen my crazy obsession with booth pins lately (link) but I'm still in desperate need for help!  I'm really leaning towards a pegboard display set up like these two:

(source)

(source)

I love the idea of being have lots of my items already set up and ready to go on the board and have a thick enough ledge around that you can just close it up and be on your way (seriously - that sounds amazing right?)! It would also let me display higher without taking up table space (especially if I go for something like the second white pinboard display where it sits on the ground - but what could I do to combat the wind while still having the boards fit into the car? Maybe Fraser can magically make the foldable pinboard display and have a detachable wide base for it to rest on that is wind proof? Oh! The dilemma. What do you think? Have you seen any rad craft booth displays that would be good against the windiness of Kamloops? I'd love to know! 

the older i get...

The other morning while I was getting ready for work I got to thinking - the older I get the more my life priorities seem to change. I'm sure a good ten years ago I was substantially less concerned with how thorough my facial moisturizing regime is, but now I make sure to set aside time to slather on a variety of products to get me through the day. It's funny how all these little things seem to shift in importance and I thought I'd come up with a top ten list of the life lessons I'm learning the older I get. Behold:

Ok - so I mostly just think about yelling at teenagers to put a coat/some pants on while they're shivering out there scantily clad in fridged winter temperatures but I do like to exaggerate from time to time. So how about you? What priorities are you seeing shift as you age? 

New Lease

With the wonderful sprinkle of cheer and excitement that always seems to happen around the holidays I am feeling extra thankful this time of year. Despite one never ending stomach flu/"this will be the death of me" cold, this xmas was magical and there's nothing like a few days off from work to recharge and reevaluate life.  I appreciate so many little things about life and wanted to make sure I took the time to thank you (you wonderful reader you) for popping in and spending an internet moment with me. I think this lovely print from Sarah Abbott sums it all up in a gorgeous, ascetically pleasing, simplified, and slightly floral way:

(source)

I suppose most of this reflection is thanks to my dear old pal Travis who I ran into this past week.  I'm not sure how he always manages to say just what I didn't even know I wanted to hear but he never ceases to amaze me and it just so happened to coincide with the start of a goal making new year!  I went home feeling motivated, energized, and pretty much given a whole new optimistic lease on life and boy oh boy do I ever hope to keep this up!  If you told me a week ago that one simple sit down for coffee would leave me feeling this blissful and confident I certainly would have doubted you, but now that it has happened I figure I will just roll with it. Okay, so I sort of feel like I'm raving about one of those scam-y goal making seminars or self help books but I think Travis mostly just helped me realize what is most important to me in my life and made me really want to do whatever I can to keep that in mind while moving forward. Sounds logical right? A little reevaluation does wonders since I was already in the resolution making mood I figure I might as well make a blog post about the whole thing in case any of you had some input to share too.

I'm naturally a pretty high stress person. I like to take on more than I can handle, I thrive with challenges and massive to do lists, and ultimately try to finish every little task perfectly in a timely and responsible manner.  I get ridiculously enthused about pretty much everything in this wonderful world we live in and often get so caught up in the moment that my once approachable list of tasks becomes much too overwhelming. Throw in a hefty handful of health problems that like to put a giant kink in things and you've got my life in a nutshell.  I'm always coming up with more goals and tasks to add to that endless "what kate needs to do with her life" list but what I feel I really need to do is take a step back and shorten that list into one word. Happiness. Above all else I really just want spend my life being happy.  Of course that can encompass loads of other little subtopics and sounds entirely too simple, but it is that simple. I'm always loosing sight of what's most important to me in life and it comes down to happiness. I don't really care about impressing anyone with material possessions or accomplishments and would much rather just be content with my life just how it is and never look back. Life is what you make it, so as far as I'm concerned I'm going to make it a fun and happy one!

I'm determined to lower my (mostly self-inflicted) stress level and make a habit of continually increasing happiness. Sounds easy enough right? Here are some of the tactics I've found helpful to keep my life happy:

• Retain a positive outlook. Anyone can point out flaws with pretty much anything so instead look optimistically at each situation and roll with it.

• Keep meaningful relationships. Surrounding yourself with positive people who truly love and care about you makes your feel amazing! Call your mom, have a kitchen dance party with an old friend, or make an effort to sit down for coffee with that fun girl from biochem.

• Treat others exactly as you'd like to be treated. Just like that New Radicals song from the late 90's "You Get What You Give" so be nice and you'd be surprised how far a little kindness can take you. 

• Lead a healthy lifestyle. Happiness isn't all about mental wellness, physical wellness is important too! Make good choices towards sticking around on earth for as long as you can. It will be worth it.

• Don't get bogged down with details.  Sure life throws all sorts of challenges your way but getting worked up about them isn't going to get you anywhere. Try to stay patient, calm, and positive and remind yourself what you're aiming for in the end. Taking a step back once in a while can give you a lot of perspective on keeping your life happy. 

• Enjoy the little things. I know fuzzy kitty pictures sure do wonders for lifting my spirits so find what it is that makes you feel spectacular and keep it up! Make time in your weekly schedule for doing something that makes you happy then go out (or stay in) and really enjoy life! Kittens and sunshine for everyone! (well....for me anyways....)

• Stop worrying what others are thinking about you. If someone is really going to judge you or be mean to you for being yourself then they really aren't worth your time. There will always be negative people out there, but as long as you keep bettering the world with your sunshiny disposition who cares?

• Learn to say "No". This is a big one in my life since I'm always biting off more than I can chew. It doesn't help anyone by making unreachable goals for myself and instead I'm going to focus on committing to being practical and trying my best to lay off being a perfectionist. Everything doesn't have to be perfect, but as long as you're doing your best and staying happy (and sane) that's what matters!

• Make one good choice at a time. Life is just a big long series of decisions you are making to work at making them good ones. No one's perfect, but you'll feel great about making a habit of good choices and you'll be on your way to the road of happiness

• Be happy with who you are. If you struggle with poor self-image, try to make a list of all the things you love about yourself and focus one of those each day. Even if you're having a rough morning, taking a moment - throw on some extra lip balm and glance in that gorgeous smile on the way out the door. Every little bit counts! 

Well that quickly turned from "just a few tips" into quite the list, but I'm sticking by it. Each of those strategies have helped me become the person I am today and taking a step back and remembering to focus on happiness is a great way to live my life. It's wonderful to think that all of this happy habit changing loveliness came from one little "where are you at and where are you going?" life evaluation with my friend Travis, but it certainly did and I couldn't be more pleased about it.  He did tell me about challenging yourself and others to stick to a resolution at the beginning of each year and I'm certainly ready to resolve any negative elements of my life! The big goals I have for 2013 include:

1) Reconnecting and remaining close to the wonderful, kind, generous, and fun loving people I've met in my life.  I often forget how much I appreciate the positive influences that have shaped me and it takes only a moment to let someone know how wonderful they are (and I'm sure they'd love to hear it too)

2) Dropping any self inflicted stress factors. Sure I like a little challenge once in a while but my mental sanity often gets put on the back burner as I fumble to meet personal deadlines and (*gasp* - I'm going there) blog every single day.  Happiness is all too important to me and in order to be the best person I can be I'm going to cut back on here and share my geeky enthusiasm about life when I can healthily find the time for it!

and

3) Keep with my Arthritis Class goals! You only live once and after struggling with chronic illness for the majority of my life I'm ready to take control. I'm going to make smart choices, start saying no once in a while, and really focus on being healthy! Hooray!

Well I don't know about you, but this post has really got me ready for a most wonderful 2013 and since this year is going to be a big one (including all sorts of new crafts, lots of big decisions, and...getting married!!!) I'll be sure to stop in and share them with you along the way. How about you? What are you aiming for this year? 

Already?

Is it just me or does the xmas stuff seem to come out earlier and earlier each year. Sure Costco had trees out in August, but when I went out grocery shopping this Thursday I discovered that Superstore had all their festiveness on! Trees, decorations, wrapping - the works. Perhaps Canada is trying to take after our neighbours to the south and roll it all out right after Thanksgiving? Isn't it pushing it a bit? There were isles upon isles of holiday cheer vomited all over the right half of the store.  Although I am certainly not prepared to start thinking about the holidays, I was pleasantly surprised by this very lovely ugly xmas sweater inspired tray I spotted:

I am a such sucker for browsing the kitchen section and I tend to have an especially soft spot for trays.  Luckily I am fully stocked on trays at home (which I use all the time for working on crafts on the couch) so this was wasn't necessary but I do enjoy the knit motif.  I've also decided that taking pictures of things I like in stores is a great alternative to buying them. It let's me share and enjoy their cuteness, is remarkably less costly, and ends with me not having a house full of things I never get to use (especially holiday stuff that only comes out for one month of the year). What a plan!

So what do you think? How do you feel about stores putting out holiday merchandise in October? Am I the only one that feels like it's ridiculous? Would you have resisted the $14 knit deer tray?

Mittens needs your help! (and I'd love your opinion)

Great news! I am the happy new owner of a new lap top! I've named him Mittens and am having the very difficult decision of what desktop image will suit him best. I (obviously) am aiming towards some sort of kitten picture and am especially enjoying layering kittens on top of the fun geometric wallpapers they had on How About Orange (link).  Here are the two wallpapers I'm waffling over at the moment and I would LOVE your input. So which will it be?

Background #1 - A plethora of persians:

or Background #2 - Mittens comes for tea:

Heck - maybe neither tickle your fancy and I should go back to the drawing board...hmm...such hard decisions! Who gets your vote?

no more chub rub!

With summer heat right around the corner there will be many tight-less days in my near future!  Since I'm not about to sacrifice my wardrobe of jersey skirts and dresses comes one unfortunate problem - chub rub. For all of you twigs out there that are fortunate enough to not suffer from this, it's the awful chaffing and uncomfortable rubbing you get between your inner thighs! Ack! The heat only makes it worse (and leads to rashes) and although this was a topic I dare never speak of in my younger days, I've realized that it is actually a common (and seldom discussed) issue! Oh, and getting older also apparently means being extra open about potentially embarrassing life problems. Well luckily a good pal of mine has found the perfect summer solution - Luvees:

(source)

Don't they look like an anti-chub-rub dream? Pretty, simple, and (best of all) have a breathable cotton inner panel to deal with that summer heat! Although I'm sure it will be a few weeks before I'm really praying for a pair of these in my undie drawer, they are certainly on my "to buy" list for the summer! In the mean time I'll stick to the 100% spandex (and 0% breathable) suction cup undies for my thighs. So the question is - have I just completely grossed you out with the idea of chub rub? Are you a silent sufferer (like the former me) dying for a solution? OoOo! Even better - do you have any other remedies I should try? Inquire minds want to know!

As an additional note - someone repinned these undies onto a "funny stuff" board and thought I was joking about how awesome I think they are. Nope, chub rub just isn't a laughing matter, and these undies look great! Hooray for solutions!

April Showers bring May Flower (earrings?)

Boy oh boy is time ever flying these days! I've spent the last few days frantically crafting up a storm in preparation for my trip to the interior this month so I can restock my consignment shops. It's a great opportunity for me to see how things are selling, touch base with the shop owners, and make a little extra money! I also decided with this round to keep a few pairs for myself. Usually I am all about producing and shipping things off but since the regulars at work always pay special attention (and comment) on the earrings I wear, I figured keeping some fresh pairs to show off would be a great idea for some extra crafty advertising. Here's the handful of special ones I couldn't part with:

 

It's quite the coral and minty teal cocktail of flowery goodness! April showers are supposed to bring May flowers right? So this year I figure flower earrings are just as good! Yay! Now I just need to remember to carry cards with me so every time a stranger compliments my ear adornment I can slip in some potential sales. Sounds like a solid plan right? 

I've also come to the realization that my craft time management scheduling needs to change. I always figure I can get more done in a limited amount of time and somehow seem to get sucked into a crafting time sucking vortex! Ah! Sure I figure in theory I can finish all those earrings in one day and package them up right? Nope - three days later I'm still working away and cursing myself for not being productive enough. Alas. At least I really enjoy all my crafting time and now that I'm realizing how time consuming each craft task is I will hopefully be better at properly estimating how long each step will take me. Funny how it has taken me a good three years to figure this out, but it did leave me wondering if I am the only one who is so lousy at crafting time management. So let's discuss! How do you plan out your projects? Are you an over or under time estimater? Any tips for better productivity? Are low crafting expectations the key to success?

What was I thinking?

Have you ever bought something and then as soon as you get home regret it? You're at a shop and it seems like such a good idea and soon afterwards wonder what in the world you were thinking? I usually avoid buyers regret by cutting out impulse shopping and thinking on most of my purchases - well all but one.

The other day I read a perfectly charming little post from Elsie about lipstick. She said in her blog how she overheard two fashionable older ladies chatting about their favourite lipstick, Revlon's "Love that Pink". She picked it up the next day and weeks later discovered that her grandma had the exact same shade at her home. How sweet. If three old ladies (and one very trendy blogger) approve I figure it was worth a try right? Soon after Fraser and I ended up at Zellers and I figured I could pop in the makeup section and get the lipstick. To my surprise they were sold out. It must be good if Zellers doesn't have it (don't all little old ladies shop there?)! A few days after I decided to pick up some much needed toothpaste and lip balm after work and wouldn't you know it - there it was, Revlon's "Love that Pink" lipstick. Good old London Drugs. Time to rush home and try it out in all it's pink lipped glory:


The verdict? Ack! I looked like a clown! My lips were an ungodly shade of bright pink and with the contrast of my extremely pale white skin, I was far from "loving that pink". What was I thinking? I could have bought a nice block of cheese with that $10 and instead have a once used tube of lipstick that will likely sit at the bottom of my makeup case for the next 15 years. Oh well. Live and learn right? What's the last thing you had buyers regret from?

Craft Supply Secrets Revealed!

Scientific progress is all about the public sharing of information. When you do an experiment or discover a new cool species you get out there and publish your findings so others can learn from your conquests and further the world of science! Sounds great right? I often wish the crafting world was just as open, and although I don't support ripping off other people's designs or ideas, I am all for getting inspired by all the wonderful handmade goods people make and am always curious where crafters get their supplies from! My sister for one always seems to be asking me where I score my sweet crafty tools from and I figure if she's interested - some of you may be too so let's share the craft supply secrets!

As I mentioned in my button packaging post a few days ago, I like to get deals! It only makes sense to want to get the best possible price on a product, especially if you plan on selling your goods in attempt to make a profit! Over the years I have tried to find most of my craft materials locally since I often get inspired to make a craft on a whim and like the option of immediately getting whatever it was I was looking for and not having to pay shipping! My two biggest supply sources in town are Michael's and dollar stores.

Michael's is an arts and crafts supply super store and although their prices are often quite inflated, they give out 40% coupons like candy (in fact, you can almost always find one online) making them perfect if you're looking to get one or two things. I exclusively buy cardstock, paints, magnets, polymer clay, yarn, and wood pieces from Michael's and once in a while splurge on paper punches or scissors. I also pick up some acrylic recycled felt squares there that I use to make my pocket mirror cases. I like the low price tag and plethora of colours to chose from making it perfect for mass production.

Although the dollar stores of Kamloops have proven to be far superior to the dollar stores here in Victoria (who'd have thought?), there are a few items I love picking up there. Most of my packaging tools are dollar store purchased including tissue paper, lunch bags, ziplock baggies, and envelopes. Once in a while I score some nice acrylic felt to use for magic wands, mirror cases, and mustaches, but that is often touch and go depending on the quality. There is even a sweet dollar store in Kamloops that sells wooden dowels! Oh my!

I like to stick to local fabric shopping for my sewing needs since I really like to see the colours of the fabrics I chose in person and like to feel the quality before I buy. Fabricland seems to be the only place to get deals on a whole assortment of textiles here in B.C, but once in a while I pick up some accent cottons at quilt shops. Ikea is also an awesome source for fabric (although I don't live close enough to one to take advantage of their textiles very often...)

Once in a blue moon I also find really nice quality supplies at local shops like the amazing hand pressed 100% wool felt squares I get from the fiber arts store here "Knotty by Nature!" The price may be a bit higher, but the quality makes it worth it! That felt is what dreams are made of (well..maybe my dreams anyways...)

As for the rest of my craft supply shopping - I turn to the internet! Not only does it give you the comfort of shopping in your pjs without having to worry about store hours (I often get the urge to do some 5am binge craft shopping), but it offers some great deals on awesome products if you know where to look! It is also quite convenient for you blog readers since although you may not have access to a Michael's (e.g. my sister Leslie), you do have the internet! Hooray! The only downfall is having to wait for your parcel to arrive and the added costs of shipping fees. It does give you an excuse to check the mail though (for non-bill post even!) which in my mind is extra awesome...

One awesome spot to look for supplies is Etsy. Etsy has quite the selection of handmade, vintage, and craft supplies and all you need to do is turn on the "supply" search filter and start roaming for whatever product you may need! I buy the button blanks for my fabric button earrings from etsy as well as the 12mm black safety eyes I use on my plush microbes, and bezel pendants and glass inserts for necklaces. There is also a great selection of wool blend felt squares from shops like Giant Dwarf and Benzie Bazaar. This is a great compromise for felt that is higher quality (it keeps it shape well and doesn't pill) without the super high price tag for 100% wool felt! I've ordered from both shops a few times and love their selection of colours and amazing customer service - just check out that array of felt loveliness from Benzie's shop:


As far as printed products go - I am all about moo! They make amazingly high quality products and let me customize my orders enough that I can get a different image on each card! It also helps that they send me coupon codes in their moosletter and have quirky and fun packaging in their orders! They expanded their print shop site quite a bit from their origins in the UK and now offer an assortment of business cards, post cards, greeting cards, and stickers! Woo Moo!


Since I live in Canada, lots of the sweet craft supply deals I find online aren't so sweet when you factor in the shipping and duty costs. It has taken me years to find a good place to find a button machine (and ample button making parts) and was thrilled when I discovered Six Cent Press. Based in Vancouver, this little print shop makes and sells buttons in all sorts of shapes and sizes! Of course it is a little pricey to start out (their button making kits are $400+) but once I got mine I was hooked! I love being able to make my own pins and love having the option to do custom orders whenever I can. Heck, I liked them so much I bought 1" and 2.25" button presses and haven't looked back since! Yay!


As I mentioned above, I tend to do a lot of supply shopping at dollar stores. They have loads of paper products great for packaging up sales but since the move to the coast, I am finding the shops here less satisfying. After using up my stash of dollar store envelopes I took a trip around town trying to find more for a reasonable price. Ack! No such luck, the only bubble mailers and manila envelopes I could find were pushing the $1 each mark which really chips away at the profits when you sell an item online. Not to worry! The internet to the rescue! I looked at a few parcels I have received in the mail and noticed most of them said "Uline" on them. Time to hit google! Uline turned out to be an amazing resource for all my shipping needs and along with reasonable price tags they ship those babies out the next day! Woo! I may have gone overboard on my last order - but on the plus side, I won't be needing to buy any envelopes for a while...


The next two online supply shops I have just recently discovered and wish I knew about earlier (enter my "why can't we all share our crafty sources publicly" speech). Both shops seem to be stocked full of amazing craft deals and if you're willing to wait for shipping, are totally worth it! Create for Less is a US based company offering over 5000+ discount craft supplies with an easy to use online checkout system. Their prices are way better than Michael's (even with a coupon) so are perfect for getting slightly more costly items. I picked up a few paper punches, magnets, and some wooden pieces (I had looked everywhere for) a few weeks back and they arrived quickly:


My order even came with a hilarious (and so true to life) bumper sticker:


I also really like how they have product reviews on their site and share customer favourites (like Aleene's Tacky Glue and Fiskars 5" spring action scissors - two of my crafting staples!). They even offer free shipping with large orders (which I couldn't take advantage of since I'm from Canada) but do offer international shipping to Canada (obviously...since I ordered from them), Australia, and New Zealand!

The other online shop that has changed my craft supply buying ways is Consumer Crafts. I don't recall how I got linked to this site, but I am totally thrilled that I found it. They have so many products I've been struggling to get my hands on in large quantities and for awesomely low prices! It is really nice to be able to order 200 wooden dowels without having to bug Jim to keep checking Dollarama for them in Kamloops (which, if you know Jim - or even if you dont, he really appreciates). I ordered a whole bunch of items from them including embroidery hoops (for less than a buck a piece), jewelry findings, safety eyes, bar pins, and (as I mentioned) dowels! Yay!


They offer the same "free within the US" shipping deals as create for less too. Unfortunately, it was sort of a pain placing my order with them since you have to call it in if you're from Canada (so only Monday to Friday during business hours) and since I have pretty limited phone reception I had to drive around until I found more than one bar of service. I also got disconnected twice...and ended up giving them the wrong suite number so my parcel got delayed a few days (but my order was perfect so that's a plus!). Yup, sort of annoying, but not their fault by any means (well unless they offered online or email ordering). When I place my next order with them I plan on finding a land line to avoid the whole reception problem and I'll be set! Hooray!

Whew! That was quite the ramble I went on, but hopefully I shared some useful information with you that you can use to get yourself some sweet deals on your crafts! I'd love to hear where you do most of your craft shopping and encourage you to share some links if any of them are online! I'm also curious if anyone out there knows a good online linen or cotton fabric sources since my attempts so far has been pretty hit or miss (well...mostly miss at this point). What do you think? Are you an online buyer?

Go to Movies

Fraser and I don't have cable tv. Not only does it really not fit into out limited budget, but the idea of me spending huge amounts of time being brainwashed by advertisements and commercials is less than appealing. Don't get me wrong, there is a huge number of quality programming out there, I just prefer to watch it at my leisure on dvd!

Our dvd collection seems to be ever growing and nothing is more comforting than curling up with pjs, blankets, tea, and a favourite film. I certainly have a few "go to movies" I seem to watch endlessly and they always seem to make everything better! Last night Fraser and I decided to have a low key celebration for the arrival of the weekend and ended spending the evening with some old friends:


*Sigh* Fraser always teases me about how I can never stay awake through a whole movie (which, by the way, he may be accurate about), but sometimes that is just what you need! Feeling crummy? Snuggle up with some heartwarming Hogwarts adventures! Yay! Not in an HP mood? How about picking any of my favourites from my "I feel sort of cruddy and want to lay on the couch and get better" movies:

- Indiana Jones (preferably the 1st and 3rd)
- Bye Bye Birdie
- Back the the Future (also the 1st and 3rd...)
- Grease
- Pretty much any Elvis movie
or
- Gidget!

Okay, so apparently I like to watch family adventure films and 60s musicals. Oh well - it does the trick on my sick days! What about you? What movies do you watch when you're feeling ill or looking for a comforting evening?

I need your help!

Happy Thursday blog friends! I've got a favor to ask all of you - so grab your thinking caps! We're doing a secret santa at work this year and of all the coworkers to be paired up with, I got stuck with the one coworker that is pretty much the polar opposite of me. Oh dear! The gift is supposed to be $10-$15 and I am stumped. Here's the details on my secret santa partner:

- He's a he (is it just me or are girls so much easier to buy for)
- He seems like the type of person who 1) watches Family Guy and 2) listens to Nickleback
- He is a good 4 years younger than me, making him 23
- Perhaps it's the age difference but he never gets any of my jokes or movies references (hence the polar opposite thing)
- and...well...that's about all I really know! He's a new transfer to the store as our assistant manager and I've only worked with him a few times.

Ack! I'm sure you can see my predicament! The xmas party is only a few weeks away but I am totally at a loss of what to get. The only thing I can think of is to make him a bacon ornament like the one I made for my xmas party last year:


All 23 year old guys like bacon right? But that isn't really enough as a present right? Maybe I could throw in a selection of mustache sticks? Or...a gift certificate (*cringe*)....

Yup, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! What would you get a young male manager you know nothing about? Inquiring minds want to know!

p.s. by the completely rare chance that my secret santa partner is reading this (you know who you are), sorry for spilling the beans on your present ideas...

what keeps you blogging?

Back in september, wild olive did a post asking her sponsors "what keeps you blogging on a regular basis?" which got me to thinking - why do I blog? I know I originally started it out after hearing from multiple reputable sources that it would be good for my crafty business because, after all, the internet is a competitive place and the only really unique thing I have to offer any internet readers is myself. I kept on with my blogging as a creative outlet and way to reach out to anyone willing to take a moment and glance over my ramblings and then did my "blog everyday in 2010" thing as a challenge my sister set out for me (which turned out to be enormously more difficult than I expected). But now that the challenge is over I'm determined to keep up with my regular posts and I think that katie of green bean studios illustrates the blogging appeal quite well (and I do love a little illustration):


Too true! I like using blog posts as motivation with crafting and as the ultimate resource for feedback on what crafty endeavors are worth while. I also really, really love that I have a handful of regular readers (like yourself perhaps?) and I'd like to think a few of my posts add a little delight and texture to their day! All this discussion does leave me wondering - if you blog what keeps you doing it? Or maybe if you are more of a reader than a writer - what keeps you interested in a blog? What sort of posts are you drawn to? I know I'm into pretty much everything (tutorials, music, crafty projects, decor, art, fashion, ailments, cooking, design - you name it) but I'd love to know what you think about things - so I'll pass the discussion over to you. What do you think?

Manly Hobbies

After meeting an old friend for coffee the other day I got to thinking. He was telling me about how etsy inspired him to attempt (and epic fail) at amigurumi and how he figured it was predetermined that he wouldn't be able to figure out the fine detail of janpanese toy crocheting because of that Y chromosome of his. I certainly disagreed with this statement since I'm a strong believer of anyone being able to do almost anything they put their mind to, but there does seem to be a strong divide in the crafting universe. Why is it that some crafts are geared towards women and some only to men? This topic was further supported when I stumbled upon an article on man made diy (a site geared towards craft men...and apparently me?) on traditional manly hobbies (from model building and whittling to fishing and archery).

The article seemed to solidify the fact that all humans need to get some level of crafty creativity out and no matter the media it is part of our civilization! It also inspired me to do more woodworking... Anyone else up for a gender bending craft revolution? Oh...and even though I'm not entirely sure my friend jordan even knows I write a blog I am determined to teach him amigurimi this year..

i love data...but not as much as i love you...

As you may know I am a data geek. Ever since I discovered the amazing data goodness that is google analytics I've been tracking all the lovely site visits I've been having on my etsy shop and blog and soaking it up! You may have read about my site visit bingo I had going for a while (well...still going...just really slowly...) but I rarely talk about the data I have collected from my blog! I very much appreciate every single visit, comment, and "awesome" I'm lucky enough to receive but I have noticed a most wondrous trend with my daily readers - they've increased! Not exactly the clearest of line graphs but take a peek:


Yup! Looks like in the last month my average 20ish visitors a day has jumped to a lovely 45ish! And where are all my wonderful new blog readers from? Let's see:


Not surprisingly the majority of you are from canada (where I am, my mom and sis are, and the most of my blog reading real life non-internet friends reside) followed by the US and the UK! Exciting! And even more exciting are all the visits from everywhere else in the world too! It is so amazing to think that random awesome people from all over the globe took a moment to read my ramblings! I'm honoured! And excited! And ever so thankful! Hooray!

So now I'll pass the discussion over to you (both my regular 20ish readers and the new added 25ish), what would you like to see more of in my blog? What are your favourite post themes? Anything you'd like to see more of? less of? Any tips or tricks? Inquiring minds (well mind...) want to know! And give yourself a lovely virtual internet hug from me for stopping by in the meantime! Thanks!

Procrastination!

As you may recall, I held a discussion on crafting burnout on the blog a while back and was so pleased with the feedback and comments that I thought it would be a great idea to start another! Today let's discuss a problem that plagues the world (or at least me) - procrastination!

First off I must say it is pretty suiting that I originally planned on writing this post on september 12th and it has been saved in my drafts since then...but since I recently suffered from last minute craft cramming for the fabulous finds show I figured it is time to revisit the topic! Oh procrastinating - we all do it (some more than others) but when it comes to crafting and deadlines I always mange to come up with several other things I need to do before starting a craft project such as:

1) if I just clean the house I will be much more focused to get to work
2) I definitely need to use this micheals coupon before it expires so I'll just stop by there for a bit
3) clean clothes will remedy this situation - laundry time
4) there isn't enough food in the house. I need nutrition. Time to go grocery shopping and cook a three course meal
5) perhaps the internet will inspire me....

I'm sure you get the point, and can come up with your very own convincing ideas of what you need to do before you can get down to work. It's like I get pulled into a "procrastinate and waste time because you don't think you have long enough to get everything done on time but you totally would have if you'd just started when you thought of it" trap! It quickly becomes a wicked cycle of excuses that leads to some level of panic. Actually one of my sister's favourite blogs (hyperbole and a half) explains it quite well:


I also really like the part in that post where the girl gets violently beaten down by her looming responsibility but I think it might be a little too dramatic for my crafting procrastination woes. After all - if I don't finish a craft the only one that suffers is me (oh and maybe the potential receiver of my goods) but yeah, not exactly a huge deal...Even though I know I am truly the only person to blame for any procrastination that happens in my life I'd love to think the increasing laziness of our society has something to do with it....

I find when procrastination gets me down it is time to write a list! Lists are an awesome tool to overcome evil wasting time demons by: (yes a list about lists)

1) letting me prioritize what I need to do and what is actually important
2) allowing me the intensely amazing satisfaction of being able to cross items off as I complete them (oOoO and even violently crumple up and toss when I'm done the whole list!!)
and
3) (most importantly) it lets me get all the tasks I'm responsible for finishing out of my head and down on paper so I can stop stressing and just get working! Hooray!

Hyperbole and a half sums it up quite well yet again:


The satisfaction in a job well done and a completed to do list eventually becomes the ultimate motivation for me to get to work and I think I just need to remind myself of how rad it feels to successfully finish things! It is decided - next time I find myself bogged down by deadlines I will take action! Write a list, limit distractions, and get down to work! I'd really like to set the goal of getting everything finished and ready for the next craft show I do a good week before the actual sale. That way I'd have loads of time to relaxingly do any finishing touches at my leisure (and get a good nights sleep before heading out!) Perfect! Now I just need to set these goals for all the deadlines in my life (perfect example = xmas shopping)! So we'll see how it pans out for me...

But it leaves me wondering -how do you deal? Do you chronically suffer from procrastination? How do you overcome that all too appealing laziness and rise to the challenge? Any tips and tricks on mastering deadlines? And how early do you finish your xmas shopping...

Crafting Burnout - Do you suffer?

Today's blog post stems from a discussion I had with my sister a few weeks back. We were talking about crafting projects and I mentioned how I had loads of sold out items in my etsy shop that I just wasn't feeling motivated to remake right away. She then told me about all her half finished projects she wasn't up for finishing and *poof* the crafting burnout discussion was born! So instead of a typical kate post with tutorials, links, awesome stuff, or videos I thought I'd deviate a bit and attempt a discussion. After all, I do want to know what you think about the topic and I am curious to see how any of my readers deal with lulls in crafting motivation!

So the question is - do you ever suffer from crafting burnout? Do you get halfway through a project and get sick of it? Do you find you get super pumped to make something and then once you start working on it you realize it really isn't as fun as you thought it would be? Have you ever run out an item on etsy and cringe about the idea of remaking it? Does the pressure of making merchandise kill the fun?

If you answered "yes" to any of the above - not to worry - you're not alone (hooray!)! I often struggle from crafting burnout and find that my daily to do list gets so massive that crafting just doesn't fit on the agenda. But what do you do about it? Do you remake and suffer or leave your etsy shelves bare and miss out on potential sales?

Let's take a moment and look at my top 4 crafting burnout items:

1) Famous Scientist Finger Puppets:


When I started making these puppets I had loads of free time on my hands and was fairly new to the world of embroidery. I found they were a fun practice for my stitching skills and a lovely creativity stretcher as I came up with them! Yay! I then realized that I had spend 12+ hours painstakingly crafting these and when it came to pricing I didn't even know where to start. Sure their materials weren't overly expensive, but the labor was massive! I decided they should be a higher ticket item in my etsy shop and was over joyed when each of the five sets I made sold! Then it came to remaking them. I whipped up another five sets (with some magical cutting help from wendy) and yet again - they were snatched up! I realized it would probably be a good idea to make them again...but crafting burnout occurred...

2) Albi Magnets:


Based on the loving tale of Albi the racist dragon, these magnets set depict characters seen on HBO's Flight of the Conchords (season 1, episode 7). I really loved making these when I started out on etsy because (oo! sublist time!):

a) I love FOTC!
b) sculpting is super fun! Go polymer clay!
c) acrylic painting is super fun too! Double win!
d) they are a super unique fun geeky item to have in my shop!

Hurray! So much fun! I made these when I opened up my shop in october of 2008 and ran out fairly quickly. My second round of remake sold out in a matter of hours! Seriously! I'd list one set of magnets and 30 seconds later it was gone! How exciting! On to my third remake! This time I tried to go a little bit bigger on my production and have just now started to run out. In fact, my abli remaking was my second ever blog post (link)! Now it's about the time to start sculpting up some more sets of albis and yet again - crafting burnout! Ack!

3) Love Robot Cell Phone Charm:


These little gems were made after my friend jacqui suggested it (what a convincing girl she is). I had fun whipping these dudes up with very similar crafty motivation as with the albi magnets (hey - polymer clay and small painting projects are the best!). Despite their small size, they are a fairly time consuming craft (especially for perfectionists like myself) - so when it came to my third round of remaking...crafty burnout (sensing a theme?)

and 4) Embroidered items:


This point is actually going to include a wide variety of items (all involving embroidery and sewing) like my coffee sleeves and change purses. Super exciting to start off making but not at all enjoyable when you're unmotivated to remake them. This was actually my third blog post I'd ever written (link) and I think that post discusses my crafting burnout really well!

Whew! What a list of examples! I think in my case my crafting burnout has occurred because (oh my another list):

1) Not enough free time for crafting (ah the joys of life)
2) Too many items to remake (one is approachable but 4+ is a little daunting)
3) Frugal pricing (yup - I make slave labor wages on those puppets)
4) So many other crafting projects I want to do (i.e. every tutorial I've blogged about over the last year)
5) Preparation for xmas craft shows (I'm selling in shops and shows this fall/winter and that is a massive crafting endeavor to focus on!)

So what do I plan on doing about all of this crafting and burnout? Take it one step at a time! I often get overwhelmed with all the things I take on and sometimes taking a step back and approaching each problem separately is the best way to go. It's very true that I don't want to force myself to painstakingly make projects I'm not motivated about but that doesn't mean I can't work on other projects that help me get ahead on my to do list! I don't think it is worthwhile to suffer when crafting - it should be fun! So I'll throw my dreaded craft projects on the back-burner for the time being and keep on going with some crafts I love working on. In fact - just taking the time to revisit some of my items really puts me in a sculpting mood! Hooray!

So after all this - I'll turn the discussion over to you. How do you deal with crafting burnout? Any life changing tips or tricks?