Saturday, November 20, 2010

School Spirit

I've been thinking a lot about high school lately Of course, teenagers like to sport their school colors at events... Even during school ;). I work with a girl who has a daughter in high school, which has been a wonderful inspiration to my business. Who knew I just happened to have beads in her schyool colors (coincidence? I think not!!)?? SO naturally, I've been making stuff for her. I've made a stretchy seed bead bracelet (which thanks to technology, I have no pictures of) and a pair of earrings that I made this afternoon.


So, if you want to sport your school colors at events this year, send me a message with your school colors and I can make something for you!

<3
Stephanie

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Holidays are coming!!

I haven't forgotten you guys, but man, have we been busy. It's amazing how much you get done without kids. I'm not saying they hold me back because I enjoy every minute of being mommy, but things just don't get done because they are SOOO CUTE!! I mean... come on... look at these faces!

Who wouldn't play with them????

But motivation, to say the least, has hit the pits. While raising them has been my primary priority, I haven't forgotten my dreams. I made trick or treat bags for the kids (well, I made them for the Yamboree in Gilmer, TX, but that's fine). But they are SOO awesome!



My sister in law came down in October to help me with the Yamboree so we set up our booths together as Bright Eyed Birdie and Simply Sassy Gifts. We had a blast and had a great time really getting to know each other. I can't wait to do it again! She has some awesome pendants and I've got two or three that have just lain around the house for several months just waiting for inspiration to strike! Well guess what - it did!! Last night, I made a necklace with one of the pendants and have taken pictures of it for your viewing pleasure. Tell me what you think!




Well, let me get back to the kiddos. Stay tuned for more adventures!

<3 Steph.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Certainly

So, I don't have a clue as to why I started this thing. It was a whim decision and I wish I had waited until next year. Matt was saying how cool it would be to do AlleyFest and somehow I found myself agreeing... Which don't get me wrong it probably would be cool once I got my legs under me a little better. I don't know if I've got a strong enough base to be doing a craft fair yet.

I've got beads, I've got displays, I've got fabric and a few things to sell.... But now it's time to make lots and lots of other things to sell and put a price on it. Then, I'll have to do even more... We'll actually have to go to AlleyFest and put my name/face out there. Am I frickin crazy??? As if I already didn't have a taste of social anxiety.

In just a couple of short weeks, we will be setting up for a booth in public for cryin out loud lol. I'm having a hard time getting things together and taking the time to start making things. Caegon is at such a fun age.... This is the time that mothers need to take it slow and really enjoy what a baby has to offer.. So why did I decide on an impulse to waste some of this precious time with him?






Matt said... When is AlleyFest anyway
I said.... First weekend of June.. Deadline to enter hasn't passed yet.
He said... We should enter a booth
I said... That would be pretty cool

....and now I'm kicking myself in the rear. I'm no where near ready. I don't really have the time to get ready for this. And seeing as they've already accepted my booth fee and there are no refunds after May 7th, I guess we're doing this thing.

Ready or not... Here we come Alleyfest!
<3

www.alleyfest.org


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Creatively Speaking

So you all know that Matt can be a frickin mad genius with a little bit of wood and his large collection of tools. Well, he's at it again! In a couple of short weeks, we will be hosting a booth at the local AlleyFest and I knew that I would be needing some displays made up. Well, he came home with an extra sheet of plywood off a job and had plans to return it at Lowe's so I asked him what if we just actually USED it? He hasn't made everything yet, but check this out!!





I was at walmart where I had been trying to talk myself out of buying that fabric but I had this strong impulse to buy it and I'm so glad I did! How awesome is this!?

We went to Michael's the other day and bought the stuff to make these bad boys:




Thanks, hunny!!

In other news- Caegon has found his thumb!




Onward with my craft fair duties!!!
After I feed Caegon, of course! :)

<3

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Busy as a Bee

If you ever had kids, you know how busy I've been. I've got a wonderful three year old, who (while still wonderful) is pushing his limits (of course!) and a handsome nearly three month old, who (while still soooo handsome) is teething (so soon!!).

Life has been incredibly full for me. I don't know how I find time to do anything. I get to sleep for maybe 4 hours a night, with a wake up call in between. School started back last Friday, so I'm working on that. I just listed 8 pairs of earrings for sale on Etsy. Laundry, housework, work-work... I'm a busy little bee lately. One of these days I will find my balance.


I had Mr. Caegon in his bouncer tonight just watching him, waiting for hubby to finish dinner. He's such a calm little man. He started to whine a bit and just got quiet. The next time I looked down at him after taking a bit, he had his hand in his mouth, sucking away!! When did he find his hand!!?? He's getting soo big sooo fast! I sent out a message to family of his beautiful little voice. He just talks to you quite regularly now when his tummy is full and his diaper is clean. How can life get any better?

Well, if you'd like, take a look at my new listings. I will post the group photos for your viewing pleasure! =)
















Have a great night everyone!!

Sunday, March 14, 2010

It's Been A While

Okay guys, I know it's been a while since I last posted, but things have been crazy. I have officially survived the first two weeks back at work and now have a beautiful 8 week old little boy (not forgetting my handsome 3 & 1/2 year old =D). Things have been hectic. For the most part, the last two weeks, I've come home snuggled with baby and as soon as he's asleep for more than 30 minutes, I end up crashing out on the couch where I was spending some time with the rest of the family. And when I haven't been crashed out on the couch, I have been busy plucking away at homework. I don't know what made me think that I could do what I have set out to do this year, but I am having serious doubts.

I do, however, know that I need some extra cash flow. And I took a giant step toward achieving that extra cash flow. I opened my Etsy shop. Officially!! I'm so excited! And (I think thanks to Facebook), I've also already made my first sale! I sold a pair of earrings.


Aren't they just terribly cute!? Thanks, Etsy buyer! I really enjoyed making these and considered making some more for myself. They're just too cute not to wear on Wednesday. =)

Well, I'm off to the rest of my overwhelming duties (motherhood and education, lol). Keep watching for more exciting adventures!

oX <3 Xo
Stephanie

Monday, March 1, 2010

These Six Weeks

I survived my first day away from Caegon.
I cried my heart out leaving him this morning, but I survived it.


^^ Motivation for bigger and better things ^^


Keep watching for more! <3
Stephanie

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Creatively Inclined

It's nice to be creatively inclined. It's even nicer to have people to share it with. My husband made me something I couldn't have even conceptualized. It's a shelf for those beading trays (you know the ones that have openings to hold the beads you're working with and the lines for the strands for necklaces). It's pretty nifty.


Here it is with weight on it, in my messy craft corner. Excuse the mess, I do have a 5 week old and haven't gotten around to cleaning my corner. <3


Here's the finished product. This way, I can design multiple necklaces and/or bracelets at once. How cool is that?? Thanks hubby. ;)

In other news, we went to visit my sister in law in San Antonio a couple of weekends ago. It was a wonderful visit and everyone got to meet Caegon. She is letting us use her cradle for him and it's just BEAUTIFUL.


Here's his first nap in the cradle. <3



Keep reading! There's always more to come.
Stephanie

Monday, February 15, 2010

More Snow Adventures

Last week was full of excitement. There were lots of ups and downs, but what's the good without the bad anyway? I got all my beads in and I'm all set to get creating. I'm currently in cleaning mode, so I can create without feeling guilty. I got some laundry done, some dishes done and working on getting some boxes out of the living room. We also got to go to San Antonio and see my sister- & brother-in-law. The snow we got was beautiful. We ended up getting six inches. NOT what we expected at all. 





Kaleb got to help daddy roll the base of the snowman!! He had a BLAST in the snow!


Okay, so it turned out to be a snowwoman because we needed a scarf and I had the only one available. <3 (Thanks Brittany!!) 

The snow was so beautiful. It would have been nice to come inside to a warm house when we were done playing in the snow, but the power was out for over 12 hours. Luckily enough, the snow on the road melted enough for us to leave for San Antonio.

It'll be nice to be able to settle down at my table and take some time out of the day to create. I've got everything organized, just got to have room to make things. I got to see my other sister-in-law's workspace. She's got a great space and I can't wait to see what other stuff she comes up with.

More blogs to come! <3
Stephanie

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Snow

So much for living in Texas for warmth, lol. It's snowed ALL DAY today. It was actually quite pleasant. Kaleb - my 3 year old - had a BLAST today playing in the snow. We also took the new addition out for a "ride" in the snow. He wasn't as pleased lol.


Here are me and the little ones. <3


Snowball fight!!


Yayyy snowman. Yes, it's tiny. LOL. They just used what they could.
This was only 2 hours after the snow started this morning.


You can kind of see the flakes streaking by as we were on our way home. Those are the biggest flakes I've seen before. How pathetic is that? lol.


In other news, I got my new beads in last night and was up very late organizing then and sorting the old and new beads in my organizers. It was a fun experience. I can't wait to really dig into them. I've got some pictures and will share soon! <3

Keep watching for more!
oX Stephanie Xo

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Designing

One thing that is completely new to me is designing jewelry. Okay, well, it's ALL new to me. I got these great beads for Christmas from a friend and it took me until mid January to figure out what to make with them.
I made a necklace and a bracelet with them for her.

Ahhh just LOOK at those pictures. I'm looking at a long and happy relationship with my new camera. It's a Sony Cybershot DSC-H20 and it's a beautiful, beautiful piece of equipment. I'm so glad I invested my money into it. I look forward to getting some fabrics to make a more professional backdrop for my jewelry and start posting on Etsy.

In other news, I have new beads coming my way this week. I certainly cannot wait. I've got another project saved up for when they come. My sister in law sent me a pendant while I was on bed rest in December. I want to make a necklace out of it so that I can wear it. She's got some brilliant items in her store. http://www.etsy.com/shop/brighteyedbirdie She is so creative. I look forward to having someone to share creativity with.

So, keep looking for more to come. There will be lots more where this post came from!

With faith and love <3
Stephanie

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Camera Time

I can't wait until tomorrow (at least I *hope* it's tomorrow, funds are pending). I'm going to get me a new camera. I played with it yesterday at Office Depot and I'm in love. I got right up on a sign and snapped a picture and you could actually read the words still. I couldn't have been more than an inch away! I went onto a review site and they have a forums where professionals recommend cameras for the purposes you're needing. I received 4 recommendations. I looked at a bunch of pages (like Amazon, Best Buy, etc) reading customer reviews before I made a decision. I'm looking to buy the Sony Cybershot DSC H20. It's beautiful, and it will do jewelry some justice. The guy that recommended it posted a flikr link to some pictures of jewelry photographed with that specific camera and they look amazing. I spent hours this morning browsing through shots of nature and action shots to see if I would like the other functions of it as well (I won't ONLY be taking pictures of jewelry!) and I think I'm in love. I probably sound crazy, but I can deal with that. =)

It's hard to have a 2 week old baby and not have a camera. I have missed so many opportunities to take pictures it's unreal. Disposables only do so much and I keep forgetting to get one while I'm out anyhow. So, soon I'll be able to really interact on here and on Etsy and really begin to bloom my business. I have great ideas and I just need to play with them now.

Wish me luck guys! <3
Stephanie

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Motivation

Sometimes it can be difficult to come up with the motivation. We get busy and we fall off the path and kind of skip down the path of least resistance for a while. 


I can admit to doing this. In fact, I realized earlier today that I don't know what I was thinking when I thought I could balance all of this out. 


Baby Caegon came Friday, January 15th, much to everyone's surprise. He was 9 pounds, 3 ounces! It was definitely a different experience for me. With my first son, Kaleb, I was induced, so I never went into spontaneous labor on my own. But we all knew Caegon would come to be with us sooner than we all anticipated. Two postive Fetal Fibronectin tests are nothing to joke about. He's gorgeous and doing well.


So, now I'm trying to balance a newborn, schoolwork and trying to launch my business. Don't get me wrong, I'm very excited, I'm just a little concerned that once I start back to work things are going to get very complicated. I hope that hubby understands when I start getting frustrated! 


Good news though. I'm getting some money at the end of the month, so I'm going on a catalog spree and buying a whole bunch of beads and findings and getting to work! I can't wait!! I'm also thinking about getting some supplies to start making bath salts and selling them as well.


Soon, I'll have my Etsy mini up and you will be able to find ALL kinds of things. If you can't find something you want, let me know! I can either make it for you or contact someone who can! 


Keep me in your thoughts guys! I'm on my way up!! 


<3
Stephanie

Friday, January 8, 2010

Adventurous

I guess you could say that I'm feeling adventurous. I guess you could just say that I'm tired of the real world. I think that I would agree with both! lol. In December, I took the plunge and filed my DBA (doing business as...) for Simply Sassy Gifts.


I've got a whole bunch of ideas and I can't wait to share them with all of my friends and family. Maybe I can even find some new friends! <3


I'm 23 years old and I have a 3 year old son that I would LOVE to spend more time with. I got married in 2008 and we're expecting another little boy, he should be coming very soon. It's one of my dearest wishes to be able to spend more time with my kids.


So help me on my journey guys! This should be great fun!


Stephanie