Tuesday, November 10, 2009

One Day At A Time.....


A bowl full of listing "stuff"


Jimmy is out chopping wood as I sit and continue to add to my Destash Etsy. As I look around the house and go through drawers I see probably hundreds of "creative" items that I've accumulated over the course of the last 20 years. I'm not kidding! Jewelry making magazines galore! Bead & Button, Jewelry Crafts, Lapidary Journal, Beadwork..........OMG! Not to mention, knitting needles, crochet hooks, fleece (fiber), yarn, beads, cabochons, neck ties (yes, you can create with these), scarves (and these too), books on just about every subject from doll making to jewelry making (various ways), painting, drawing, fabric, patterns, etc., etc., etc...........sorting through all of this and deciding what to get rid of is actually proving to be pretty easy. The hard part is what "I want" to keep.

Lots of patterns, magazines, books, neckties, scarves, fabric, some knitting needles and crochet hooks. You can only use so many needles/hooks at once and having more than 2 sets of each size.....well, that only promotes starting more than one project and I HAVE to STOP doing that so a bunch of those will start appearing in the next couple of weeks.

Definite keepers are the polymer clay, silver clay and my sculpting tools, along with quite a few beads and precious stones that have collected. Some kitting needles and crochet hooks (see above) cause those are long time things I've done that I'll never completely let go. All of my wire working and metal fabricating supplies STAY!

The hardest thing to let go of is my glass. Mostly rods since my generator won't be working anytime soon, and we need the money so badly. My kiln stays since I can still use that in other areas. My enamels are staying cause I know I want to try those in other areas.

There is still lots that I need to sort through and as hard as it is, it's also very freeing!!! The clutter of years of "all over the place" creativity are now starting to wind down. I don't feel like I need to try everything out there but I still want to keep my mind fresh and flowing with new ideas by trying new media now and then.

I will also start listing more creative things in my Emerald Dolphin Etsy too. It could use more exposure and instead of limiting it to one kind of media, I'm just going to start listing most everything (not all) that I make.

I'm still looking for work but it's been a LONG time since I've been out in the job market. My next cake decorating class is Thursday night. I can hardly wait! I baked two cakes yesterday but they both cracked on the top, so I'll need to trim them down to make em flat for frosting. Practice make perfect, right? Even when it comes to baking a cake. The boys don't care, of course, as long as they get to eat the end result at some point. I'll take pictures, as my decorating skills improve : )

So for now it's back to work, listing, Yeah ; )

I leave you with a couple of pics of crocheted necklaces that I need to add clasps too.

Have a great day!


Friday, November 06, 2009

It Just Keeps Going....

We're going to pull out of this soon! October pretty much went to Hell in a handbasket. From the kids and I being sick to teetering on the edge of financial disaster. Jimmy went back to work for a short time but is now laid off again. We are checking out refinance options but it's not looking good with with him being unemployed and me, not having been "gainfully" employed for awhile. To top it off my ex is now 2 and a half months in arrears on child support. It's not all that much, really, but every little bit counts right now. The ex is being "stalked" by DCS (Division of Child Support) so that is a good thing. Eventually he will have to "pay". He hasn't seen the boys is over 2 years so that is not as issue (I prefer it that way) and since my daughter turned 18 she has refused to have anything to do with him (or his family). I don't usually air things like this on my blog but the financial stuff has affected everything lately.

I'm looking for work again, only this time I'm looking into cake decorating. Does that sound strange? I'm actually taking a class (Thank you, credit card) so I can have some experience. The job market is tough right now, so I figure anything that gives me a bit of an advantage can help, plus it looks like a lot of fun. I've had one class so far and even though we didn't get to do any "hands on" stuff, I loved it! Next Thursday we have to bring a frosted cake to practice on and I'm very tempted to start before then, just for the fun of it!

In the meantime I'm going through closets, cupboards and drawers listing things on my "destash Etsy" . Lots of patterns, back issue beading magazines, jewelry and other crafting supplies, with some vintage clothing thrown into the mix. I don't have everything up yet but I'm making a little progress every day. My glass is out of the picture for the time being. I haven't been able to get my generator fixed, and at this point the $$$ is not going to appear for this with bills waiting in the wings.

Things will start getting better eventually. It's just a matter of time. Honestly, I really don't have a whole lot to complain about. The kids are healthy, and doing well in school, we have a roof over our head and food on the table. I figure someone else is always in a worse way so "It's all good!".