Blog Carnival: Summer Inspiration

Howdy, Folks!  It's Blog Carnival time again!  This week's carnival is hosted by BW:Silver, who says:

It's Summer time! Tell us about your upcoming or current Summer inspired designs!

Well, my most important summer-inspired design is my current banner and avatar.  I redesigned them back at the very beginning of the season, using my Official Summer Color Scheme™--sky blue and grass green.

Right now, I'm waiting for some extra cash to come in so I can buy the beads I need to complete my Official Summer Necklace™, which will feature lovely blue and green fire polished czech glass beads and, of course, a pretty little tree.  This is to be the first installment in a seasonal series.  Each will be a limited edition design, available only through the given season (though, I may offer the summer design a bit longer as I've gotten off to a late start with it). 

As for current summer-inspired designs, I think my mallorn leaf necklace counts.  I've been reading Tolkien all summer, and that is definitely inspiring!

There are more pieces like this on the way--including a more accurate gold version!  And I've decided that I would really like to make literature and fantasy-inspired items a major focus of my shop.  They are certainly the most enjoyable for me to create, and I think they stand out from the crowd a bit more.

Now if I can just figure out how to translate Star Wars into jewelry...  Wire-wrapped lightsaber necklace?  Tiny Death Star earrings?  Hm.  This one is going to take some thought...

Blog Carnival: Goals

It's time for another EtsyBloggers blog carnival!  This carnival, hosted by RainyDayArt, asks the question,

What are your goals?

Good question!  I have oodles of short-term goals, but they're all pretty simple.

• Get new product lines started - I listed the first item of a new series yesterday - the Nevermore necklace, which shall be part of my "Literary Gems" collection.  I have another new jewelry line and a Tolkien-inspired calligraphy series (there's more where those bookmarks came from!) that I hope to get up and running by the end of the month. 

• Reorganize shop - This sort of goes along with the previous goal.  I need to reorganize and rename my categories to fit with my revised vision.  I have a much clearer idea of what I want my shop to be now, so I'm working to refine things that were previously a bit fuzzy in my mind.

•  Get business cards - Ironically, this was one of the first things I looked into when I started planning for my shop.  And I still haven't gotten around to doing it.  Mostly because it never seems to occur to me when I have the cash to spare...

• Design website - This was one of the other things I started planning for early on and haven't actually done yet.  I'm much better at get designs done for other people than I am for myself.  I have a pretty good idea of what I want, I just need to sit down and do it.  One of these days.

Those are my major short-term goals (though, really, they're more to-do's, I suppose...).  As for my long-term goals, those are even simpler.

• Make at least one sale a week - Currently, my sales are pretty sporadic.  And I know they always will be to some extent.  No matter how much promoting I do or how great my marketing strategy is, I can't make people buy things.  But I think aiming for a sale a week is reasonable.  

• Sell at a craft fair - I'm not likely to be doing this any time soon, but I definitely want to at some point in the future.  There's just something about the idea of selling my creations in person...  I need to make a lot more stuff before I can even think about trying it, though.

So, those are my goals.  What are some of yours?

Blog Carnival: Christina's World

All right, folks.  I'm back back from a bit of a vacation and feeling much better now that all those lovely flowering trees have calmed down a bit and there's not quite so much pollen floating around.  I love spring, but sinuses sure don't.  Ugh.

But I had a nice, stress-free, relaxing break and now I'm back and raring to go.  And since I fell behind a bit last month, I decided to jump right in and catch up on my posting for the EtsyBloggers team.  The latest blog carnival, hosted by the lovely SweetSallySoaps asks us to...

Show me your all time favorite piece of art and why you find it inspiring.

Oh, man.  That's a toughie.  I love art.  All sorts of art.  I could easily offer a top ten.  But to narrow it down to one...  Well, that last bit helped.  One of my favorites immediately leapt out as "most inspiring."  And it's a painting that I first encountered in a junior high art class.  Christina's World by Andrew Wyeth.

It's certainly an aesthetically pleasing, if somewhat bleak, painting.  I love the soft, muted colorscheme.  I love that distant, almost-stormy sky, the stark simplicity of it all.  But what has always struck me most about this painting--what made me pause to really look at it that first time and every time thereafter--is the story.  There is, without a doubt, a story being told here.  It's like a snapshot, a single frame, and if we could just find the play button we could see what's going to happen.

Being an avid reader and writer, I'm always looking for a good story.  And that's just what this painting is.  But what's most inspiring of all is that it's never the same story.  Every time I look at this painting I see something different.  And I've always had to wonder, how did the artist see Christina's World?

And while we're on the subject, how do you see it?

Etsy Bloggers Blog Carnival: Birthdays

Howdy, folks! It's time for another blog carnival, and this one, hosted by Joey and Aleethea, is all about birthdays!

Tell us about your birthday/what astrological sign you are/what are your plans for your birthday this year?

My birthday was back in February, on the 5th - the same day as H. R. Giger and Hank Aaron.  I'm your typical creative and somewhat quirky Aquarius, the water bearer (though, I'm far more likely to come bearing tea or coffee).  I was also born in the year of the rat.

As for plans, I don't really have any.  Having a nice dinner has been my small, simple birthday tradition for several years now.  I'm not one for big celebrations.  After all, I'm just another year older, and I think we all wonder at times if that's really something to celebrate.  In fact, I think I could stop having birthdays right now and be perfectly happy.  26 forever?  Sounds great!  Where do I sign up?

Blog Carnival: Spring Has Sprung

 The latest EtsyBloggers blog carnival, hosted by Made by Melissa, asks the question,

Spring time is almost here, do you have any special items in your shop to celebrate the season?

Well, one of the first things I think about when I think spring is flowers, and I just happen to have several floral items in my shop, such as...

The Wild Irish Headband

 

The Scarlet Pimpernel Headband

 

and this Basic Branding Package 

And I've got some new designs coming just for spring.  I have a giveaway starting tomorrow, hosted by Got A Lot to Give for these earrings:

 

I'll also be adding this design to my shop in an array of bright, spring colors, probably with a matching necklace and/or bracelet.  I've got some more crocheted accessories in the works, as well.  And graphics, of course.  

Spring is a time of growth, and having planted the seeds, I intend to keep nurturing my little shop-plant and watch it grow!

Monday Motivator: Heart Health

Did you know that February is Heart Health Month? I didn't either until I read the topics for the latest Etsy Bloggers blog carnival. And then I thought, "What the heck am I going to write about heart health?" I could share my favorite Valentine's tradition from my childhood, but I really wasn't ever all that fond of the holiday, so that seemed doomed to be a short and rather boring post.

So, heart health. Well, I do my best, in general, to stay healthy. I eat plenty of vegetables, I've taken up yoga, I drink a lot tea... But what do I do specifically for my heart? Well. Nothing, really.

But something I do do is cook. And eating right is one of the major things you can do to keep your heart healthy. So I thought I'd share my favorite heart-healthy recipe. Just as soon as I figured out which of my favorite recipes were, in fact, heart-healthy.

Well, according to Web MD, tofu is one of the top 25 heart-healthy foods. Aha! Tofu! I love tofu. I'm sure a lot of you are wrinkling your noses right now. I can sympathize. The stuff doesn't look pleasant. It doesn't smell great. And on it's own, it doesn't taste very good either. But you can work magic with tofu.

A simple marinade turns it from a bland, flavorless lump of soy goo into a delicious chunk of awesomeness that's just as good and just as satisfying as meat but far better for you. I've only just begun to experiment, but thus far, my favorite recipe is Pan-Fried Tofu with Caramelized Sauce from The Complete Book of Japanese Cooking.

Now, to keep things heart-healthy, you would probably want to use a low-sodium soy sauce (I'm pretty sure those are available.... Also, it takes some time to prepare because you have drain your tofu for 30 minutes, let your marinade sit for 15 minutes, and then marinade the tofu for another 15 minutes. But once that's done, it's fairly quick and quite easy to cook. And all of the ingredients are easy to find, even if you aren't a big fan of Asian cooking and don't already have the stuff lying around.

So why not give it a shot? And if you do, be sure to let me know how it turns out!

Blog Carnival: Snowflakes

Taking a break from the routine to post another blog carnival (almost missed this one! Eep!). This one is all about snowflakes!

One of the options was to write about our favorite way to make snowflakes, which immediately made me go, "Ooh!" Remember those paper snowflakes you learned how to make in art class back in elementary school? Actually, show of hands, who did learn how to make them? I learned last winter that, contrary to what I would have thought, this is not a universal part of the elementary school art class curriculum.

It should be. They're easy and they're fun and the end product is always beautiful and unique--just like real snowflakes. And there's just something about the whole process of making them... It's almost meditative. Or it is to me, anyway. I don't know. Maybe I take my snowflake-making too seriously. =P

There's something about teaching people how to make snowflakes too. I taught my little sister a few years ago, and it kept me smiling for days as she made snowflake after snowflake and proudly showed me the results. And she's gone on to teach others. It's amazing how the snowflake-making love just naturally seems to spread...

Now, if I'd been on top of things and had a bit more time to work on it, I'd be posting a little snowflake how-to here. Maybe I'll make that my next Tuesday tutorial...

Looking Forward

If you've been following my blog, you may have noticed a few changes--such as the addition of a second sidebar (Finally figured that out!  Yay!) and some new graphics related to the Etsy Bloggers Team.  Yup, I have officially joined my very first Etsy team, and I am all kinds of excited!

So I'm deviating from my normal schedule today to write my first Blog Carnival entry, answering the question: "Now that 2010 is here, what do you have planned/look forward to/hope to accomplish this year?"

The first answer that springs to mind is, "So very much!"  I have so many ideas bouncing around I could probably ramble for pages.  Which, might be interesting, but also time-consuming.  So I'll narrow it down to a nice, neat list...


Plans for 2010

• Experiment with quilting.  I've always loved quilts.  My great grandma made the most fantastic patchwork quilts out of old clothes that she cut into little squares and sewed entirely by hand.  They were the warmest, coziest things in the world.  I used to watch quilting shows on PBS almost every day, and came to know quite a bit about how quilts are constructed.  But for some reason, I've just never gotten around to trying it out for myself.  But the crafty muses recently gifted me with what I think is an awesome and rather unique idea for a series of quilts, and I intend to get to work just as soon as I compile all of the necessary materials...
  

• Play with polymer clay.  There's a necklace design that's been sitting in my sketchbook for a few months now waiting for me to get the beads and decide how to make the pendant.  I finally decided to use polymer clay and, coincidentally, not long thereafter, I was given a book about stamping polymer clay, which gave me all sorts of other ideas.  I fell in love with poly-clay a few years ago when I started costuming (it's great for all sorts of small props and such), and I've always wanted to experiment with it in other contexts but, like quilting, I've just never gotten around to it.  Apparently, this is to be the year of "Things I Never Got Around To Before."
  

• Make some dolls.  I've recently developed a fascination with sock dolls, plushies, amigurumi, and other such forms of "soft" dolls.  I actually made a small stuffed moose back in my junior high home ec. class.  It was a rather frustrating experience, but the teacher and I did not get on well, so the atmosphere was probably more to blame for that than the moose itself.  So I am not deterred.  Though, I do believe some sort of amigurumi will be my first venture.  I also must add that I am utterly in love with sock dolls.  If I can work out a way to make myself a sock squirrel, my life will be complete.
  

• Make some soap!  I started fiddling with soap-making a few years ago, and made some lovely melt-and-pour glycerin soaps that I gave as Christmas presents to all the ladies in my family.  They were quite easy and lots of fun, but what I really wanted to try--what started that whole venture, to begin with--was cold process soap-making (the real deal, with lye and all that jazz).  I always did enjoy chemistry...  I think the whole process appeals to my inner mad scientist.  Regardless, I never got around to it back then, and I haven't thus far mostly because of all the equipment I needed to compile (being broke does not make that easy =P).  But I recently came across something that offers the best of both worlds:  soap shreds!  Basically, these are cold process soap that's been shredded and can thus be melted, dyed, scented, and poured into molds, much like glycerin.  How cool is that?  I already have ideas for a few different "scent collections," and I'd love to add a bath and body line to my shop this year (or maybe start a second shop--I'm debating). 
  

Well, look at that.  I rambled anyway.  Ah, well.  Those are my major crafty plans for this year.  I have many other, less-interesting-to-write-about business/marketing plans and goals, as well.  All in all, it's going to be a busy year!