Lori's Adventures

Thursday, June 14, 2012

But it doesn't have pockets.....

Yesterday I noticed that my purse is starting to look shabby, not just a little shabby, it is way past what could be called “shabby chic”. The straps are fraying, the seams are coming loose, the leather is worn, and one zipper refuses to zip.

To me there is not a more excruciating chore than having to switch my purse, and I really can’t comprehend how some gals do it every day. I literally spend hours shopping for just the right purse. It can’t be flimsy, floppy, or refuse to stand solidly. It must have pockets, and dividers, and compartments, and zippers, and... you get the picture. For me, successfully using a purse involves close supervision of its contents. I tend to forget where I’ve put things so compartmentalizing is the key to my sanity. I work hard to be organized, but even then the multi-pocket idea is not fool-proof. I have to remember which pocket I put stuff in. Maybe voice-activated software would be useful—I could open my purse, say “chapstick”, and the correct pocket will vibrate, blink, or talk back to me.

So, today I started my search for a new handbag on Etsy. I always try to support small businesses and my fellow Etsy handmade artists, but I just wasn’t finding what I wanted. Don’t get me wrong, there were beautiful handbags in every color, texture, and shape, but I couldn’t find the perfect fit for me.

Then I stumbled upon these…..problem solved!

Organizer by Divide and Conquer

A purse organizer insert with pockets galore and stand-up sides so it doesn't go all flimsy inside the purse.

Organizer by Divide and Conquer

It has pockets inside and out and some have dividers and zippers too!

Organizer by Divide and Conquer

The organizers come in many different colors and styles; with or without handles.

Example Photos by PurseSitter.com

Just look how everything fits neatly inside this purse!

Organizer by: It's All in the Bag

There's even a mini organizer for your formal clutch bag.

Keeping my purse organized just got a whole lot easier! No more digging around in the dark corners of my purse for cell phone, keys, check book, etc. Best of all, if I do decide to swap my handbag to match an outfit, I can simply lift the Organizer out of my everyday purse and the entire contents can be easily transferred to a cute trendy bag with NO pockets. It will be simple, quick and easy, no need to unload all the pockets to change bags. Yippeee!

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

1000 Gifts – Part Two

This is part two of my own journey to list my 1000 gifts; blessings to be thankful for every day.

It really does make a difference in my outlook when I realize how much splendor surrounds me on a daily basis. Whether it's a morning walk in the woods, the sound of my sweetie arriving, or the flowers blooming in our yard, there are so many things to be thankful for…all the little things that make me smile.

My mission is based on a book by Ann Voskamp titled One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are. I plan to complete this journey by June 3o, 2013. Should you also feel inspired to remind yourself of all the things you have been blessed with (things that make you smile every day), please join me. Add a comment to this post and let me know you’re onboard; I'd love to read about your gifts too.

And so my 1000 Gifts journey continues...

One Thousand gifts I have been blessed with Part Two:

19. My Sweetie stopping on the way home from work to get me a chicken pot pie

20. Receiving the catalog order before the anticipated arrival date

21. Opening a new bar of oatmeal and honey soap

22. Sunday Brunch at my favorite spot: Local Three

23. Braised Short Ribs that slice like butter

24. Whipped potatoes so scrumptious you go for seconds AND thirds

25. Fresh cut flowers on the counter in the kitchen

26. A hand written thank you note in the mail

27. A new keypad lock so I can’t lock myself out of the house

28. Hitting the long stop light just right so I can dig around in my purse for lost treasures

29. Finding money in the pocket of the jeans that I haven’t worn recently

30. Being trusted by family to research cruise ship vacations to Alaska

31. Watching “The Bachelorette” (guilty pleasure) from a DVR so I can skip commercials

32. Ear plugs at bedtime

33. An extra purple pen to replace the one that dried-up in the middle of a conference call

34. Reminiscing with a friend about “the old days” and experiences we shared at work

35. Knowing that I’m loved when I’m having a bad day

36. An express elevator trip from the 19th floor to the lobby with zero stops (very rare)

37. Pictures of Puppies Playing

38. Time to read favorite blogs today

Too be continued….

Monday, June 11, 2012

Bead Soup Blog Party...Ten stress-free steps...

The next Bead Soup Blog Party is just around the corner. I’ve been thinking about how I want to approach the upcoming event. In the past I’ve completed designs that I was comfortable with, but that isn't the point of this ‘Party’. It is meant to challenge creative limitations and help you try something new. So in preparation for the next Bead Soup event, I have outlined 10 ways (listed below) to improve my experience and grow as a designer. If you are interesting in reading about the Bead Soup Blog Party, check out Lori Anderson’s blog “Pretty Things”.

My Past Bead Soup Blog Party Designs

My New Design Process for the Bead Soup Blog Party…

You need to keep in mind what’s interesting to you as a designer, not what’s easy to do as a jewelry maker. They can be very different.

Simplify. Focus. Define your color pallet. Which beads will you use from your soup ingredients? You may feel like you’re losing valuable stuff, but it sets you free.

Visualize jewelry designs you love. What you love about them is a part of you; you’ve got to recognize it before you can use it.

Think about what you are good at, comfortable with. Now what is the polar opposite of that? Challenge yourself.

Discount the 1st design that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.

Visualize or draw a finished piece before you figure out how to create it. Seriously. New design direction is hard; get your design well-defined up front.

No effort is ever wasted. If it’s not working, let go and move on - it’ll come back around to be useful later.

Recognize your skill: the difference between doing your best & fretting. Design is about trying, not worrying.

If you were wearing this piece, how would you feel? Use that feeling to describe your work.

Finish and post your design, let go even if it’s not perfect. In an ideal world you have both (finished on time and perfection), but even if you don’t have both, know that you embraced the challenge and created something from your heart.

Cheers!

Thursday, June 7, 2012

WOOHOO! Things are back to normal…

I’ve been a bit slack in my regular blog posts lately. My husband and I were quite busy working on our daughters’ wedding during the month of May. Anyone who’s planned a big wedding can probably understand that life was a bit hectic prior to the big walk down the aisle. The wedding was a success and it’s behind us now, so life is back to normal and I’m working on new items for my Etsy shop.

I’ve been wire wrapping like crazy so I can list some new pearl cluster bracelets. Each dangle must be individually wrapped so this design is fairly labor intensive. The design has been one of the top sellers, so I hope to breathe some new life into my inactive shop. Below you will see an example of the pink bracelet I’m working on. I’m also working on a purple one at the same time. I’ve found that working on the bracelets with an assembly line approach makes the task a little less time consuming. I will be posting the finished products in my shop this weekend.

1000 Gifts

This morning while visiting some of the blogs that I enjoy reading, I was intrigued by an older post by Sarah, the author of “fairytales are true”. The post was titled – “1000 gifts”. Sarah was inspired by a book written by Ann Voskamp titled One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are. She made the decision to list her own 1000 gifts on her blog. After reading Sarah's blog post and additional lists, I’ve decided to join several charismatic bloggers and embark on my own journey to list “1000 gifts”…

I too believe that being thankful and appreciative is one of life's greatest challenges and joys. As Sarah put it, “happy people are grateful and grateful people are happy” It really does make a difference when I realize how much splendor surrounds me on a daily basis. Whether it's a morning walk in the woods, the sound of my sweetie arriving, or the flowers blooming in our yard, there are so many things to be thankful for every day. All the little things that make me smile.

I plan to complete this journey by June 3o, 2013. Should you also feel inspired to remind yourself of all the things you have been blessed with (things that make you smile every day), please join me. Add a comment to this post and let me know you’re onboard; I'd love to read about your gifts too. Also, Sarah tracks and follows the blogs of people who are participating in this journey; send her a note and she’ll add you to her list.

And so my 1000 Gifts journey begins...

One Thousand gifts I have been blessed with:

1. The deep purple hydrangea bush blooming next to our house.
2. The woodpecker tapping out his version of Morse Code on the hardwood tree
3. Seeing the spider before I accidentally walked through his web
4. Watching the grade school students in their matching uniforms walk to school
5. Help moving the heavy boxes from the tenth floor to the ground floor
6. Having a Nook in my purse so I can read at lunch
7. The fabric flowers in a pot on my desk that remind me of Laguna Beach, CA
8. The location of my cube so I can see out the window and have natural light at work.
9. The email with a picture of kittens that my Dad sent
10. Shoes that don’t pinch, rub, or squish my feet
11. Time to think while waiting in the long line of cars exiting the parking garage
12. The air conditioner is working in my car (I live in the deep south)
13. The “song of the trains” down the street from our house
14. Our cat Beau greeting me at the door (he’s elderly and doesn’t do this very often)
15. A friendly greeting from the coffee stand barista
16. A bakery fresh “Everything” bagel
17. Seeing the V formation of geese gliding down to a smooth landing on lawn
18. The elevator doors opening before I push the button

Too be continued….

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

‘Festooned’ Packaging…

I’ve recently been lucky enough to have some repeat buyers in my Etsy shop. With so much competition in the jewelry category, it’s quite an honor to have a buyer appreciate my design and workmanship enough to return to my shop to make an additional purchase.

Packaging is one way I try to stand out from my competition. Every purchase includes a glossy white gift box, wrapped with a pretty ribbon, ready for gift giving. But what about my outer packaging, I want to make that stand out too.

I ship in a small white video cassette shipping box. They are sturdy and very economical if you buy them in bulk, but they do not promote my brand in any way. I want to improve that area of my business. I found a great tutorial on how to make a rubber stamp roller. The roller makes a cute string of pennant flags that can be used to decorate my shipping boxes. I’m going to try this tutorial with other shapes too. Maybe a string of butterflies to match my shop banner or Christmas trees for holiday shoppers. Check out the full tutorial on Cathe Holden’s blog - Just Something I Made.

I’m off to the craft store to pick-up some supplies…Cheers!

Friday, April 20, 2012

Wedding Fan Project

Our daughters wedding is less than six weeks away (yikes!). This weekend my husband and I are working on hand fans for the guests to use during the outdoor ceremony. The weather in Georgia is unpredictable that time of year so we are preparing for what could be a steamy event. Since the color printer and I have issues, Chuck will be doing the printing and I will be doing the design and assembly work. Below is the inspiration fan we will be using as a guide. On the back we will have a fill in the blank "Mad Libs" story about the bride and groom. Chuck and his daughters enjoyed doing "Mad Libs" when the girls were growing up. It will give the guests something to do while waiting for the big event.

Have a great weekend! We will be covered with glue and ink.....

Cheers!

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Pretty Etsy Treasury

My Monet's Garden bracelet was featured in a Etsy treasury today.
Take a peek, I love the colors...

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Swamp Romp.....

It’s Spring Break here in Georgia. We spent the last few days exploring and camping in the amazing Okefenokee Swamp with our more adventurous camping buddies. The swamp is one of North America’s most unspoiled, fascinating and valuable natural areas. It is the largest, intact, un-fragmented, freshwater and black water wilderness in North America. The swamp covers roughly 700 square miles and is located in the southeastern corner of Georgia. Wildlife flourishes here; more than 400 species of vertebrates, including more than 200 varieties of birds and more than 60 kinds of reptiles, are known to inhabit the swamp.

The Okefenokee is crisscrossed by over 120 miles of water trails. It is a major destination for wetlands nature lovers, paddlers and boaters. We chartered a boat for an incredible night tour. Without any light pollution, the Okefenokee Swamp is one of the best places in the Southeast to view the moon, stars and planets. The night was so clear; we saw Venus vividly shining down on us and thousands of twinkling stars.

At night, alligator’s eyes shine bright red; it’s spooky to see hundreds of red eyes watching you. Park Rangers estimate that 12,000 alligators live within the refuge. We listened to gators bellowing and a chorus of singing frogs and toads. I loved seeing owls and bats silently gliding overhead.

The only advice I can give about camping in the swamp is this: you can never have enough bug spray!
But don't let that keep you from visiting this magical place.

Happy Camping, Cheers!

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Five Little Monkeys.......

Do you ever have a song stuck in your head? A snippet of the tune keeps coming to mind over and over and over? I've had a well know childrens song swirling around in my head for days now. It was triggered by a wonderful cake design by "i Heart Cakes" in the photo below. I spotted this cute cake while searching for a grooms cake in a DesignBeep blog post featuring 70 wonderful cake designs. Isn't this the cutest cake you've ever seen!

"Five little monkeys jumping on the bed
One fell off and bumped his head.
Mama called the Doctor and the Doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Eating Frogs.....

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

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:

(http://www.joyshope.com/2010/11/i-heart-big-hearts.html)

Blessing bags….

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!

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.....

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.

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

http://www.etsy.com/listing/94835731/elmo-and-cookie-monster-sesame-street

http://www.etsy.com/listing/74556150/organically-grown-buy-local-custom-100

http://www.etsy.com/listing/92716537/handmade-rice-bowls-ceramic-pottery-pair

Just a few of my Altanta Favorites! Cheers!

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: