Gearing up for the Holiday Season Ahead

Yes, I know, it's been a while since I've blogged. Life has been a bit overwhelming. February 26th was my official last day at a traditional job, since the company that I worked for closed and put 100 of us out of work. Oh well, it happens, that's life. So I've been spending a lot of time on my jewelry business, trying to get it going so I don't have to go back to work. I've also been looking for a job, my plan B. Or is building my business plan B? At this point I'm making slow progress on both fronts.

I do however have a great plan for this holiday season, and that's doing the craft fair circuit. So far I have 4 shows lined up and I'm very excited about doing them. Last year I started doing craft fairs in November, and had so much fun. I am looking forward to this year and have some great shows to go to. Here is my list so far:

October 9th - Barron Fest in Woodbridge, NJ this is a juried craft fair
November 13th - Sgt John F Basilone Columbiettes craft fair in Raritan, NJ
November 20th - PTSA Holiday Craft Fair in Brick, NJ
December 4th - BRHS Band Parents Association Craft Fair in Bridgewater, NJ

Come out and visit. If you tell me you are a follower of my blog I will give you 10% off of your order total. I'm even including free gift wrap.

There are great new pieces of jewelry for you to get for yourself or for people on your gift list. I'm excited about the new techniques that I've learned using sterling and 14K gold wire and can't wait to show you. I also picked up some new beads at the bead show recently and have been working hard to make some new pieces for you.

September I will be announcing the new name for my business, so if you took my survey, watch to see if your suggestion was the winning name.

Happy crafting, I hope you see you soon.

Team Tuesday for August 3rd

Happy Tuesday!  Today my featured Etsy NJ seller is Living Vintage.  This is the first vintage shop that I have featured, and that surprises even me because I love vintage. I collect Nippon china and depression glass (that is, when I have a job to support my collection bug).  Lynn the owner of Living Vintage has 2 shops, I'll list them below, but today I'm focusing on her vintage collection.  She has some great finds, so please check out her store, and right now she is having a 10% off sale.  My favorite piece in the store is the vintage blue pressed glass dish, it's so pretty.  Here are the links to her shops:

www.PearlGem.etsy.com

www.OuterKnits.etsy.com

www.LivingVintage.etsy.com

Here is an Etsy mini of her store:

Team Tuesday, July 27,2010

Today's Team Tuesday features Visual Punctuation. Liz is another jewelry maker and she has very cute, unique items. Her cuff bracelets are so different, I have never seen anything like them. Being a jewelry maker and beader myself I appreciate all the hard work that must go into her bracelets. She also sells earrings and necklaces which are very pretty. Here is a few of the items from her store. For more, check out her Etsy store at http://www.visualpunctuation.etsy.com

Team Tuesday - Robyn's Nest

Today on Team Tuesday is Robyn's Nest Boutique.  Robyn has some unique soaps to offer, they are not the usual square shapes.  You'll find popcorn, pickles, gummi bears, lolli pops; all so cute and they would be great in gift baskets. My favorite is the longevity knot.  Find her store at http://www.robynsnestboutique.etsy.com/  and here is a peak at some of her items.

Team Tuesday featuring Accessoryholllc

Hi Everyone.

It's been a while since I did a Team Tuesday and today I am featuring Accessoryholic's store of beautiful jewelry.  Here is her Etsy mini and if you get some time check our her Etsy store at www.accessoryholic.etsy.com  Right now she is having a Christmas in July sale.

What is your favorite vacation?

What is your favorite vacation?  Was it when you were a kid?  How about as a parent taking the family on a vacation?  Or maybe it was your honeymoon... Please read about mine, then tell me about yours in the comments.

My memories of family vacations at the shore are the best.  When we were kids  my parents would rent a bungalow at the shore for either a week or 2 weeks. It was probably the most economical vacation for us because there were 6 of us kids and we could eat most meals at the house.  It was great because the bungalow was usually a block from the beach, so we could walk there, Mom didn't have to pack up the car.  We would spend all morning at the beach, then go back to the house for lunch and if we wanted to go back to the beach in the afternoon we would or we would hang out at the house reading or flying kites. 

My favorite reading materials were library books, I would stock up on them before we left home.  But even better were comic books from the little shop up the street from the bungalow.  I always had enough money put aside to buy several of  "The Archies" comic books; they were only 25 cents at the time.  If they were out of "The Archies" I would get Superman or another superhero comic book.  The funny thing is that I never read comics at home, only on vacation at the shore.

Then at night we would go to the boardwalk and go on the rides or play the games in the arcades or bet on the wheels on the boardwalk.  One year I won this huge stuffed snake, it was bigger than I was.  I was so happy.  It probably cost me more in bets on the wheel than it would have to just buy it, but I was happy.  I carried that thing around the boardwalk like it was a trophy.  In the arcades we would play pinball.  I'm showing my age, but that was the big game at the time and most of the games cost a nickle, some were a dime and the most expensive were a quarter.  You only played those if you were a pin ball wizard because it was really difficult to wind free games on the 25 cent machines. 

The last thing I'll tell you about, cause this is getting long, is the food.  Oh the wonderful smells on the boardwalk..... pizza, cotton candy, Philadelphia cheese steak, peppers and onions (I don't eat them but the smell, mixed with everything else made the atmosphere).  We always had to get a box of salt water taffy, it was the best.  I've tried salt water taffy in other parts of the country but it just isn't the same as the Jersey shore.  My favorite thing and probably the worst thing I could eat was cotton candy. My mother had a fit if we asked for it, but would relent at least once during vacation. As an adult I can understand that she was probably seeing multiple visits to the dentist in that pink and blue fluff, but we were just loving the sugar rush.

Well, I could go on and on but I won't. Now I don't get to spend much time at the beach, just too busy and don't really like the crowds.  I can still remember that wonderful, feeling of being so close to the ocean, the fresh salt air, the sounds of the gulls and all the lights of the boardwalk. 

What is your favorite vacation memories?

Remembering Dad

June is a very emotional month for me, it's the month that my Dad passed away and it's the month that we celebrate Father's Day.  So, every time I turn on the TV or the radio, I am barraged with advertisements about finding the right gift for Dad.  Not that I'm taking away anything from anyone else, but it's just really hard for me to hear it.

My Dad was a great guy, he was low key, yet funny and fun and smart.He loved dogs and his cars, I found a picture of his car that my Mom sent to him when he was in the Navy and on the back  was written, "Here is a picture of your other love."

The picture is my Dad, the guy on the right and his brother is on the left. They were at a Hawaiian party.

I'm not sure that there was anyone that didn't like him. Although, I may  be biased there. He would do anything for anyone, and once he got to know you, you were practically a member of the family.  All of my friends thought he was great.  When I lived in St. Louis he came to visit me for about a week.  I lived in an apartment complex where there was always a social event going on.  When he first arrived they were having a happy hour at the clubhouse and he came along with me and fit in like he was one of the gang.  So many people came up to me and said "Your Dad is so cool, I could never see either of my parents hanging out with me".  The whole week he came to all the social events, he even met neighbors that I didn't know. When the end of his visit arrived, all of my friends tried to convince him to stay. 

Then I moved to Chicago and he came to visit and help me move. Again he fit in easily with my friends and of course they thought he should stay longer.  About 10 years later I was back in St. Louis and my Dad was living in Florida.  He had had a stroke and wasn't doing great although he was able to be independent. My brother had suggested that I move there to keep an eye on him.  I sold my house and quit my job and moved to Florida to live with him and make sure he  was ok.

We went to all of his social events, dances, bowling, and even the seniors single group happy hours every Monday.  Nine months after I moved to Florida he had another stroke and 3 months after that he passed away.  There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about him.  I miss him very much.  I was very lucky to be able to spend the last year of my Dad's life with him. We had a lot of fun together, and I was able to be there for him when he got sick. 

Here is what I learned, that you should appreciate people while they are around. Let your parents know that you love them.  I know, as they get into the "golden" years sometimes they can be worse than 2 year olds, stubborn and demanding (like my Mom). My Dad was easygoing and a pleasure to be with even in the end.  But you don't have a lot of time to really get to know them, I found out a lot about my Dad that year . 

At my Dad's memorial service I got to talk to some of the guys he served with in the Navy, they had remained friends all of the rest of their lives.  They told me some great stories about my Dad, things he never thought to tell us, maybe they weren't that memorable to him but his friends didn't forget. He is an unforgettable guy and I know that I'm not the only one that thought so. I am very lucky to have had such a wonderful person as my Dad.