Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Eating Frogs.....

Eating Frogs Drawing


This morning while feeling a little overwhelmed about the day ahead, I took a few minutes to scan some of my favorite blogs. Do you ever feel like a blogger is speaking directly to you, they somehow know what you’re thinking? That happened to me this morning.  One of my favorite blogs is: Simplify 101; the blogger Aby has written a great article about “Eating Frogs”.

Basically the idea is to get your worst task (eating frogs) completed first so you can free yourself from that distraction, dread, stress, and that nagging overwhelmed feeling. Her blog post helped get my day off to a better start and tackle the dragon first.  I encourage you to hop (frog humor) over to her blog post, it’s very entertaining and Aby is a great writer who shares oodles of ideas to help simplify your life.

Have a great day, 
Cheers!
Lori
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Monday, March 19, 2012

Idea found on Pinterest...

Have you ever come across a homeless individual and felt totally uncomfortable?

I live in the city and see drifting individuals every day. I do know from my volunteer work that handing them money is not the best thing, but they do have needs that I can help with. Their lips are chapped. They are hungry. They are thirsty. They need a little boost.

Here is a simple idea that I came across on pinterest:


Blessing bags….

Blessing Bags Photo
Photo by Julie of Joy's Hope

This seems like an easy project and one that the entire family can get involved in. We are now going to keep a few "Blessing Bags" in our car so that when we do happen to see someone on the street that is homeless, we can hand them a Blessing Bag. If you'd like to make your own Blessing Bags, here is an example list of items you might include:

1 Gallon Ziploc bag to hold the items
Throat lozenges
Trial size Ibuprofen/Acetaminophen
Hand sanitizer
Hand or face lotion
Packaged hand wipes
Lip balm
Tooth brush and toothpaste
Soap/shampoo
Washcloth
Comb
Band-Aids
Small selection of ready-to-eat protein rich food such as:
   Cheese and crackers
   Power bar or Granola
   Tuna in a bag (no cans requiring an opener)
   Beef jerky
One sweet item such as single serving fruit or pudding
Juice box
Plastic utensils and napkin
Prepaid phone card
Pair of men's socks
Local resource list for the homeless

This would also be a great activity to do with other families in our neighborhood. Each family could bring one of the items going into the bags (ex: toothbrushes). Using an assembly line approach we could fill the Ziploc bags in no time.  I think I’ll work on this for our next neighborhood alley party.

Let me know if you can think of any other items that might be helpful to a homeless person.
Thanks!


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Saturday, March 17, 2012

Wedding Humor....

We are in the whirlwind phase of planning a wedding for our daughter. We are now two months out from the walk down the aisle. If you've ever planned a wedding you know that it can get a bit stressful and emotional for all involved.  Our grandson (4 yrs) was asked by his aunt to be the "ring bearer". With a very sad face he said, "I don't want to be a BEAR... I want to be Batman!"  He's got the right idea.....


Batman Wedding Humor
Cape Available on Etsy -   http://www.etsy.com/listing/94787430/custom-order-superhero-cape-batman

Have a great weekend! I'm off to the fabric store to buy supplies 
to make the bride's garter.

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Thursday, March 15, 2012

Pssst, Small Business Owner, Do you shop local?

Shopping locally has become more and more popular as consumers strive to support local businesses and farmer markets. Shopping locally is a powerful way to attract shop-local oriented consumers and give them a more compelling reason to visit you. It also lets small businesses support each other directly, and can help build new relationships for marketing.


Etsy buyers can do this by utilizing the “Shop Local” feature on the home page. “Shop Local” shows the 100 most recently updated shops for a specific location. You can search for artists in your country, your state or even your own zip code. Who knows, you may find that a talented artist lives right down the street from you.
 Shopping local has other great benefits:
  • the environmental impact is reduced
  • you’ve reinvested money in your own community
  • you’ve supported a local small business owner
  • chances are you will receive great customer service
  • reduced shipping cost (I love to save money!)
If you have an Etsy shop, check your profile and make sure your “Location” is not blank. Buyers like knowing where as well as who they are purchasing from. Your location helps personalize your shop and you will show up in “Shop Local” searches for your geographic area.
If you are not familiar with this type of Etsy search – take a peek at ‘Shop Local’ on the Etsy homepage.
Below I’ve listed some of my favorites from our location: Atlanta, GA

Elmo and Cookie Monster Baby Rattle


Buy Local Market Bag


Ceramic Rice Bowls

Just a few of my Altanta Favorites! Cheers!

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Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Amazing...

I finally finished the Bead Soup Blog Hop, I am amazed by the talent of the other participants and had so much fun looking at what everyone had created with their bead soup ingredients. This challenge has once again been a great experience and a chance to grow as a bead artist.  Below I have featured some of my favorite creations from the blog hop. I aspire to one day be as skilled as these ladies.........the full list and links to the other participants is in my previous blog post if you are interested in taking a peek.

 Revisiting My Favorites from the Bead Soup Blog Party:  

Materials Designer Received / Jewelry Designer Created
Blog Soup Favorites March 2012





 Deigned by: Cece Cormier
From: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Blog: The Beading Yogini


Materials Designer Received / Jewelry Designer Created
Blog Soup Favorites March 2012
 Deigned by: Vonna Maslanka
From: Illinois, USA


Materials Designer Received / Jewelry Designer Created
Blog Soup Favorites March 2012
Deigned by: Heidi Kingman
From: Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Blog: My Bead Therapy




Materials Designer Received / Jewelry Designer Created
Blog Soup Favorites March 2012

















Deigned by: Jeanette Ryan
From: Reston, Virginia, USA
Blog: Jeanette Blix Metal and Wire Jewelry




Materials Designer Received / Jewelry Designer Created 
Blog Soup Favorites March 2012Deigned by: Lorelei Eurto
From: Upstate New York, USA
Blog: Lorelie's Blog



Materials Designer Received / Jewelry Designer Created  
Blog Soup Favorites March 2012Deigned by: Tania Hagen
From: Gisborne. New Zealand
Blog: Pelima Jewelry Design



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Saturday, March 3, 2012

Bead Soup Blog Party Reveal – Spring 2012

Yippee! Today is the Bead Soup Blog Party reveal. Each Bead Soup participant was paired with another jewelry designer and asked to send their partner the following:

~ A focal
~ A special clasp (not just a lobster claw)
~ Some coordinating spacers or beads

Using the focal and the clasp was mandatory, and we could use anything from our own stash to round out the project. The choice to use the coordinating beads or not was left up to us.

This is the Bead Soup package I received from my partner

Bead Soup Blog Party Reveal – Spring 2012 - Beads I received.



Here is the first necklace I made…

Bead Soup Blog Party Reveal – Spring 2012 - Necklace

Rosa designed and created the beautiful pressed flower pendant and sent a generous amount of coordinating beads that inspired me to create a multi-strand necklace. I love wire-wrapping so I wrapped individual freshwater pearls to make the chain link strand. The second strand is a mix of the colorful vintage beads that Rosa sent and more of the sage green freshwater pearls. The final strand is a simple oxidized chain holding the flower pendant. I love the vibrant colors!

Bead Soup Blog Party Reveal – Spring 2012 - Necklace

Take a closer look at the lovely pendant and this perfect little clasp Rosa sent. I think the size of the clasp works perfectly with the overall piece and will be comfortable to wear all day.   


The second necklace I made…

Bead Soup Blog Party Reveal – Spring 2012 - Necklace

Rosa sent plenty of ingredients for a second necklace and although I don’t generally work with seed beads, I enjoyed working out of my comfort zone and I am pleased with the result.  I used three different colors of seed beads twisted together and separated with the smoky glass and lampwork beads Rosa included in my soup ingredients. The focal is another wonderful pressed glass pendant that Rosa made.  It holds a tiny butterfly wing which is well-matched to my design style (note my shop banner at the top of this page).


And I even had enough ingredients for a bracelet…

Bead Soup Blog Party Reveal – Spring 2012 - Bracelet


How could a southern gal go wrong with a lovely handmade pink flower focal in her soup? Spring in the south is all about pink! Flowering cherry trees, azaleas, camellias, and mounds of impatiens burst into the world with amazing pink blooms. I like the contrast of the antique brass findings with the glass and crystal beads; to me, this design has a vintage feel.

Send me a note, tell me what you think of my Bead Soup Designs.

Click on the names below to see what the other bead artists participating in Lori Anderson's Blog Party have created with their Bead Soup ingredients.  

Thanks Lori A. for your long hours and hard work organizing this fun event!!!

Hostess, Lori Anderson


Special Book Sneak Peeks, Cindy Wimmer
1.  Adlinah Kamsir (Singapore) and Hajer Waheed (Kingdom of Bahrain)
2. Adrienn Lukacs (Hungary) and Agata Grygiel (Poland)
3.  Agi Kiss (Hungary) and Carolien Muller-Genger (the Netherlands)
4.  Agnes Asztalos (Hungary) and B.R. Kuhlman
7.  Alicia Marinache (Canada) and Dita Basu
15.  Bonnie Coursolle (Canada) and Fay Wolfenden (Canada)
16.  Carmel McGinley (Australia) and Tracy Stillman (Australia)


21.  Cheryl Brown (Canada) and Diana Ptaszynski
22.  Christina Stofmeel (the Netherlands) and Eva Kovacs (Hungary)
24.  Cilla Watkins (Canada) and Elaine Robitaille (Canada)
25.  Sabrina Straub (Switzerland) and Kathy Combs


32.  Dee Elgie (UK) and Joanne Lockwood (UK)
33.  Dian Hierschel (Germany) and Eniko Fabian (Austria)
37.  Doris Stumpf (Germany) and Eszter Czibulyas (Hungary)
39.  Elke Leonhardt-Rath (Germany) and Marjolein Trewavas (UK)


41.  Erika Nooteboom (the Netherlands) and Giorgia Rossini (Italy)
43.  Evelyn Duberry (Canada) and Gaea Cannaday
45.  Ginger Bishop (military, Okinawa) and Martina Nagele (Germany)
48.  Helene Goldberg (Australia) and Karen Vincent
54.  Joanna Matuszczyk (Poland) and Julianna Kis (Hungary)
55.  Joanne Tinley (UK) and Michaela Pabeschitz (Austria)
65.  Kristina Johansson (Sweden) and Penny Neville (Canada)
66.  Krisztina Erlaki-Toth (Hungary) and Nicole Keller (Germany)


76.  Lori Finney (Canada) and Marie-Noel Voyer-Cramp (Canada)
78.  Marta Kaczerowska (Poland) and Milla Starchik (Canada)
83.  Michelle Jensen and Sandra Young (Canada)
92.  Rosa Maria Cuevas (Mexico) and Tejae Floyde
93.  Sabine Dittrich (Germany) and Sally Russick
95.  Shanti Johnson and Tracy Mok (Canada)
97.  Sonya Stille and Traci Zeller (Canada)
98.  Stefanie Teufel (Germany) and Tania Hagen (New Zealand)





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