Trade Shows

So I am venturing out and will be participating in trade shows. My first one is in a couple of weeks, and I am nervous and excited. A couple of friends and I decided to go into the trade show business : ) I will be selling my jewelry. My friend Staci will be selling decorative frames and centerpieces, and Jennifer will be selling crosses. Our first trade show is on September 19-20 here in downtown Midland.

Tomorrow morning we will get up bright and early and hit garage sales. We are hoping to find items to help us display our products. We are far from traditional, so no telling what we'll find or come up with. Starbucks will most definitely need to be in order..lol. I would appreciate any tips and advice on trade shows. Have ya'll participated in any? How did it go? Any trade show stories I would love to hear : )

This weekend is the closing weekend for Summer Mummers. I have not participated as much this year as in the past due to having a weekend business, but I still love it. I always get teary eyed when we sing the last song on the last night. Then begins the count down for auditions and wondering who is going to direct next year's show? Who will be cast? Who will audition? Who won't audition? What will the new Olio acts be? What will the theme be? It's very exciting. We get so sad at the end of the summer. We can't stand to be away from each other, so we then have football days/nights where we get together and eat/watch the games. Then we have game nights where we play board games. This holds us over until May when kick off starts for the next show which will be my 10th year involved with the show...wow! It seems like yesterday when I first auditioned.

That's all for now friends : )

Couple of new ones

Here are some pics of some bracelets I made over the past couple of days with glass pearls and seed beads. What do ya think?

Birthday Bash

My cousin Deanna over at http://myloveaffairwiththriftshops.blogspot.com/ is having a birthday bash today. We are all posting our baby pics. Here are a couple of mine when I was 2. I was called "girly curly" because my hair was so curly. When I was born, my cousins called me "onion head" and "tweety bird". I had hair sticking straight up on top of my head. I can't wait to see all the pictures. Happy Birthday Prima!

Rehearsals Over!!!

Well, we opened Summer Mummers last weekend which means no more rehearsals..yay! I can finally get back into making jewelry, cleaning house, and cooking. I will be making enchiladas tomorrow night. I can't wait. I might attempt to make spanish rice. Sometimes it comes out great and others....

My boyfriend's family was in town from Minnesota last week. We had a real nice time. I cooked up some ribeyes with cherry sauce one night and some tacos the next. My mom came over as well. We all went to the drive-in which is always a blast. My dogs are super spoiled now that they had both "grandmas" over at the same time, plus their "Aunt Debbie"...lol. They got to meet their cousin Merlin. He is a very cute Boston Terrier.

I started this bracelet last night and finished it about an hour ago. Here are some pics. What do ya think?

Organizing

Many people say an unorganized home leads to a chaotic life. I agree..lol. I have been trying to organize everything in the house. Is it me or does it seem like there is never enough room? I have tons of closet space, but they are all full. My goal for this next week is to get rid of anything that I have not worn in the past year. I have so many pairs of shoes that it is ridiculous. I always bag all my stuff and give it to my mom who either has a garage sale or gives it to people in need. Make-up, love it. I have so much of it that I bought all these organizers to try and get it in order. The funny thing about it is that I don't wear it much...lol. Guess I'll get rid of a lot of that as well.

If you have any organizational skills or ideas. Please share them with me while I'm on my quest to organize my house.

Thanks : )

Checking In

Hey everybody,

I've been MIA for awhile due to going out of town. My mother wrecked her truck, so I went to visit her so she could use my car to go to work. I was in a little town with nothing to do. I took cases of beads, and we made a ton of jewelry. I am hoping to post pics soon. Mom and I had a great time. We went to my brother's house on Easter. I got to see family and have a nice time while there.

Well, we decided to keep a puppy. We kept the little one and named her Raven. She was so sweet at first. Now, she's a little terror..lol. She runs around and chases/bites the other dogs. My poor babies are terrified of her...lol. Staci, one of my best friends, took the little boy. She says he fits in perfectly.

If you are in Midland/Odessa area, make sure to go and see Rent this weekend or next. You can call the box office at 570-4111 to reserve tickets. It's going to be a great show. I'm going to go see it on May 2nd.

I can't wait for Sunday! Sunday will be Summer Mummer kick off party at the Yucca. Everyone is invited to come have food/drinks at 5:30pm. You can sign up to work bar, popcorn, etc. Auditions will begin at 6:30pm. Saturday is my birthday so maybe we'll have cake : ) hint hint...lol.

I got featured

I am so excited. Jenny at jmackgems.etsy.com featured one of my bracelets today at

http://www.creatureofcraft.com/2009/03/etsy-wonders-wednesday-the-thursday-edition/
Go on over and check it out : )
Yay!

Busy, busy, busy

I have been very busy with the puppies. They are running, jumping and all over the place. They have finally started eating the puppy mush. I had to feed them with my fingers, and they just now are starting to eat from the dish.

My mom came over last week. We had such a good time. We went to her favorite store (Goodwill). Then, we went to Hobby Lobby. When we were leaving there were cop cars everywhere. Come to find out someone had just got jacked in the parking lot. I guess the guy had robbed women in three parking lots. Thank God that it wasn't us. They caught the guy though.

I am going out of town today to do a party. I think it will be a fun one, pun intended. My mom's going to be there and she is crazier than I am. I'll probably stay the night at her house because Matt doesn't want me driving home that late. He has fallen in love with the baby girl puppy. He plays with her all the time and is constantly holding her. Now, he's thinking about keeping her. I don't know what I would do with four dogs. The three we have right now are a handful as it is. She is so adorable though..hmmm. We'll see I guess.

The puppies are 4 weeks old

I am loving the puppies. It's going to be hard to give them away : ( As long as I know the people whose homes they are going to, I think I'll be fine. Here are some pics.

Spring spring spring

Matt has been sick the past couple of days and now I have it...cough cough, sore throat..ick!

My cousin JoAnn made me this beautiful wreath. I just love it. It brightens my day everytime I look at it. The colors are beautiful. She's so crafty. I always tell her she should sell the items she makes. She always makes these wonderful items and gives them away to family. I consider her my best friend. We talk everyday. Sometimes we talk until wee hours in the morning. Isn't great to have a friend like that?

Spring

Hi everybody! I want to know what your favorite spring colors are. I am making "spring" jewelry and want to know what people like. Do you like pink and green together? Yellow and orange? etc.

Thanks for your input.

AJ

Busy Days

Oh noes!!! Matt and I have been so busy with stuff that I just now realized that two days ago was our 3rd anniversary..lol. We both still remember the day we met. I guess we'll go to dinner this weekend to make up for it. I can't believe I forgot it. I'm usually so good at things like that. Oh well.
Matt has Spring Break next week, so he gets a whole week off from work, lucky him. I've been trying to make jewelry to post. I need a new camera. My birthday is next month (hint hint Matt). I still use my old digital camera to take pics of my jewelry. I see other shops with gorgeous pictures, and I get so jealous : ) One of my best friends is a professional photographer. I'm going to have to get with her to give me tips on how to take better pics.
I made puppy mush today with gerber rice cereal, carnation milk, warm water, and a bit of puppy food. The puppies didn't know what to do. Instead of eating it, they walked all in it and bathed in it. I hope they get the idea soon..lol. Their mom very happily ate it for them.
It was so cold today and instead of staying in, I was running errands all day. Tomorrow, I'll stay in, snuggle under a blankie, and drink coffee..yay!

New pics of the babies

Both movies were great! If you haven't seen them, then I recommend them both. We had a great time at the drive-in.
The puppies are now three weeks old and are trying to walk. The little baby girl crawls backwards..lol. The one with the white spot on her head is a porker. She eats nonstop and doesn't let the baby eat at times. The boy is huge too. Here are some pics.

Going to the Drive-In

We haven't been to the drive-in in such a long time. I love going. We are going to meet my cousin and his gf there and watch Slum Dog Millionaire and Taken. I love that it's only $5 and you get to see two movies. We always sit in the back of Robert's truck and eat, eat, eat while we watch the movies. It gets kinda cool at night, so we take blankets. I'll let you know if the movies were good.

Babies are a Week Old

Here are some pics I took today of the babies. Their eyes are still closed, but they crawl all over the place. They are little rolly pollies. They roll over each other constantly.

Here are some pics

Here are some pics of the babies at one day old. There are three of them.

New Puppies

My cousin Robert called me yesterday that his and Jaime's dog had her puppies. She had three of them. I now have the three plus the mom since I'm home and can take care of them. They look like little mice...lol. I can't wait to see them start to walk and open their eyes. They are half yorkie. I'm not sure if we are going to keep one or not. Our three keep us pretty busy, and they are already a handful. I know when the time comes for them to go back, it will be difficult to let them go.

Cyndi Bling Ring

I made this bling ring with my cousin Cyndi in mind. I named it after her. She loves big rings along with all sorts of big jewelry. I love the way it sparkles and shines. I made another similar to this one and my mom of course snatched it up today at lunch : )

Treasury

I am super duper excited. I am in a treasury today.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=39318


Yay!

The Phone Call

As I was trying to muster up energy to create some pieces, my phone rang. I didn't recognize the number so hesitated to answer it. I just knew it had to be "This is your second warning that your car warranty....". When I said "hello" there was a pause and then this lady began to ask me if her grandson was here. She sounded very emotional and distressed. I proceeded to tell her that she had the wrong number. She then told me that she has not seen in her grandson in over 25 years. She is searching for him and knows he lives in Texas somewhere.
She was crying as she told me the story of how his father had beaten him when he was little and other horror stories. My heart went out to her. I told her "We will find him. I will do whatever I can to help you locate him." She was so grateful and overwhelmed.
I wrote down all his information and have been searching for him on the net. I found where he lives but I can't seem to find a number for him anywhere. The number that did come up was a wrong one or so they say.
The lady is a singer/song writer and insisted that she wanted to send me a signed cd and a gift basket. I keep telling her that I don't want anything, but she doesn't take no for an answer. I am determined to help her find him. If you have any ideas on how to search for him, please let me know. I will keep you updated on the situation.

Rainbow

I have been making items to put up on etsy. I made this one tonight and called my mom to tell her and she immediately said "I want it" : ) . I am going to see her tomorrow so she was all excited. The bracelet is made with a sterling silver clasp, sterling silver crimp beads, and swarovski crystals and swarovski spacers.

Silly dogs

This week has been crazy busy. I have been working on custom orders and cleaning house..lol. Tonight my boyfriend and I were watching American Idol and I paused it to take the brownies out of the oven. I sat back down and Journey jumped on my lap and started growling at the television. When I had paused the tv, there was this cute dog with a robe on some commercial. Journey kept growling and growling at the dog. He then jumped down and charged. He got right up to the tv and started barking and barking. Well, of course Phoenix who copies his brother all the time decided to start barking at the dog on tv as well. Matt and I were laughing so hard. Then Shadow who I believe doesn't know how to bark, started making this hiccuping noise (his version of barking). It was barely audible which made us laugh even more. His head was barely moving and he was barely making any noise but he thought he was being vicious..lol. Later on in the evening I went back to the commercial to see what they would do and they started growling and barking at the cute dog on tv again. Im going to videotape them doing it sometime this weekend and post it because it is so cute.

AJ

Mother Wore Tights

Last night I was not feeling well. I was coughing and had a fever. I took some medicine and fell asleep for a few hours. I got up at around 11:00pm and messed around on the computer for a bit. Then I went downstairs and watched Jon & Kate Plus 8 that I had recorded. Well, it was around 3am when I turned the channel to HBO. The most wonderful movie was on. I love old movies. I don't know why I haven't heard of "Mother Wore Tights", but I loved it. It starred Betty Grable and Dan Dailey. Old movies like that are such feel good movies. Needless to say it was around 5am before I finally went to bed. Now, I still have a cough and feel worse than I did yesterday..lol. Have any of you seen or heard of this movie? If you like old movies, then I totally recommend it.

I love Purple and Blue

I bought these beads and they happen to go very well together. I love the color of this set. What do ya'll think?

New Couches

Improv was fun Friday night. I could not shake the headache I had though. It was horrible. We had a big crowd and some crazy moments. Saturday night I missed my first improv ever. I had to work so I could not perform. I totally missed my friends getting engaged on stage. One of my friends recorded it and you can see it here http://snipurl.com/aomhn . That is so exciting. They are such a cute couple and met at the theatre as did most of my friends and their spouses.

My mom and her boyfriend came over today to bring our new couches. Well, they are not new new, but new to us : ) I love them. They are very wide and roomy. Well, I cooked for us. When everyone was finished eating, I asked, well thought I asked my mom's boyfriend if he was full in spanish. Well, everyone started laughing and my mom said, "you just asked him if he is pregnant". I guess I need to brush up on my spanish..lol.

Improv at the Yucca

Tomorrow is Improv at the Yucca. I have been doing improv for many years now and love it. We usually do a show in January and another in October. I hope I get my funny bone to working. It's going to be fun. The show has sold over 230 tickets and counting. Many people buy the tickets at the door.

My mom calls me and tells me to make sure to have the couches out of the house by Sunday. She bought us some new ones. Well, tomorrow we won't have time and Saturday I have a party to do. I called my cousin Robert and asked him if he could bring his truck. He sounded horrible. Poor thing is sick. He and Matt are going to take our sectional to the Salvation Army on Saturday if he feels better. He bought like six tickets to the show. He is my biggest supporter when I do Improv or any other show.

I'm so excited. I got an order for a wedding. I am going to make the bride's bracelet and her bridesmaids' bracelets. They are going to be white with royal blue. I will post a picture when I am done to get everyone's input. Have a good weekend : )

My boys

Here's a pic of my boys. The one in the middle is Phoenix smiling. He loves to smile...lol. Journey on the left is the oldest, then Phoenix, then the one on the right is our baby Shadow (even though he is the largest of the three). They love playing with all their toys that their grandparents and Aunt Angie send them. They have sooooo many. They crack me up fighting over toys and chasing each other all over the place.

Craft Space

Well, I decided to hang up my bead storage compartments. I need another one so I can get rid of all the plastic ones I have stacked up. I have a lot of beads and can't help but to buy more whenever I go anywhere. I love them..lol. Here's a pic of my jewelry making space. I did this today. What do ya think?

New stitched bracelet

I stitched this bracelet last night. I like color, so I made this one with a variety of colors. I need to order more swarovski so I can make a double strand. I am going to make a pork roast with saurkraut tomorrow. I invited my cousin Robert and his girlfriend Jaime to come over. Matt and I love when they come over. We watch movies, play games, and just sit and chat. Last night Journey drove us crazy. He had chewed up a plastic ball that squeaked. Well, we threw it away because Phoenix will eat it if not. Journey stood by the trash can and cried and cried. He would look up at Matt with those puppy dog eyes pleading "dad, I need that ball". As soon as Matt would turn to face the tv, Journey would jump up and try to get the ball out of the trash can. When Matt would turn around, he would sit quickly as to not get caught and give his sad look. He's so sneaky. I tried to give him other toys, but no, he wanted that chewed up ball. When he finally realized he was not going to get it, he jumped up on the chair and laid down all sad like. Poor Journey.

What do you do to organize?

I have always wished that I was more of an organized person. I try to organize and plan on doing this for the next few days. I woke up early this morning and started. Is it me or does it seem like the bigger place you have, the more junk and stuff you accumulate? I feel as if I never have enough space for all my stuff. So, I am now in the mindset of if I have not used it in the past 6 months, in the trash it goes. I do have all my beads organized in cases where screws usually go. I think this works best for me. It's other stuff that I need to get in order. I would love for ya'll to share your organizational tips. How do you organize? What do you do?

AJ

Here ya go!

Matt and I had a great time at my cousin Robert's today. He bbq'd steaks and chicken..yumm. Maiya, his yorkie is looking a little plump. I hope she's not preggers.

Here's a bracelet I made last night with sterling silver clasp. Enjoy!