Shameless Plug

Hey there everyone. I wanted to send an internet shout out for my friend (and cohort in craft crime) Moriah, who has just started her own Etsy shop: BeadyEyeLass. She has also started her own blog to go with it.

She has reinspired me on the jewelry front. I've been making crocheted necklaces, but haven't listed any for sale, since I'm still trying to work out the best way to finish off the closures. So far I have liked the way they are coming out though.

Please take a look at Moriah's sites! She will appreciate it!

Lights! Camera! Lint Roller!!

So, my little diva kitty just had to be a part of the action. After I had used the lint roller on the base for my newest creation, positioned the lights, lined up my shot and made sure Gracie was a safe distance away, I clicked and got this:

"I'm all ready for my close-up, why are you pointing the camera over there?? " AKA - attack of the huge fuzz-monster.

Really, I probably would've gotten more of her in the shot, but the camera moved when I started yelling and lunged forward to remove her before she could start biting the necklace. So, to placate the drama queen, I corrected my grievous error and took this shot next:

I've lost interest. Catch me after my beauty rest.

I'm just happy that her eyes are somewhat open in this one. The anti-red eye must have caught her off guard.

Torn

Yep, that's me. I'm torn. And what's the big decision? Why, thank you for asking!

My dilemma is which of the 9pm primetime shows to watch tonight. There's Gossip Girl, which I watched last week when it premiered and actually enjoyed. On the flip side, there's Private Practice, the Grey's Anatomy spinoff. Now, I'm a HUGE Grey's Anatomy fan, and have been looking forward to the spinoff. But, I don't know...

So, I guess I'm trying to decide between a teen soap opera, and a show of adults that act like teens (I'm assuming)...

I think I'll be flipping through both stations and see which one lasts through the beginning of the season. While working on a new necklace idea, if I can keep the beads and wire out of the cat's jaws.

On the jewelry front - Thanks D.T. for the sale! And check out my new link on the sidebar to my Etsy shop. Thanks!

Open For Business

Well, this weekend I finished setting up my Etsy shop. If you want to check it out, here's the link: www.bytami.etsy.com

I'll be adding a link to my page soon, but I spent today at the Walnut Festival and need to get to bed. I've only listed 7 items so far, but hope to add to it relatively soon. Eventually, I would like to add some of my crocheted items (I set it up with a crochet section, but it is empty at the moment). Of course, I should probably get moving on the baby blanket for Christyn's 12-week old baby before I start any new projects.

I haven't had any sales yet (way early), but I've had each item viewed a modest number of times. I'm just now getting the word out, and have printed out a few preliminary business cards to give to friends and family.

Special thanks to Jill, who may not realize it, but offered me some encouragement in an email she sent a while back regarding the business end. Thanks also to all of my supportive friends out there! (And Joie - setting up the shop isn't too hard, as long as you have enough time to sit at the computer and do it.)

My Very Own Personal Hero

I’ve been working on the jewelry thing lately and have noticed that my cat is mesmerized by beading wire and pearls. I’m using a bead board to lay out some of my designs before stringing them, and this usually ends up on my lap as I work. So does the cat. This has posed a bit of a problem, as she is not content to sit idly by admiring my handiwork.

Nope, not my Gracie. The freshwater pearls shining in the lamplight appear to her as unwilling prey attempting to escape their confines (that would be the indented necklace track). The reflection off of that perfectly faceted Swarovski crystal? The shining eye of the victim, glistening with a tear of defeat! As she crouches to pounce, she thinks to herself, “Must…save…Mommy! The marauding army of evil baubles is quickly advancing!”

Aren’t I lucky to have such a protective hero in my household? God forbid the nylon coated steel coil of beading wire be allowed to hang over the side of the bead board, or dangle from my busy hands, swinging its tail mockingly in Gracie’s face. Better get it before it gets you! Muahahahaha…

Um, anyway, I find myself repeatedly removing the cat from my side/lap/face/couch while beading. She did pounce on a roving pearl last night, overturning numerous beads and gemstones onto my lap, couch and floor. Then she chased what had fallen to the floor. I’m still missing one Swarovski crystal, and am waiting to see it winking up at me from the litter box (in which case I will take the loss and let it lay). I’ve also caught her gnawing at the beading wire, which I don’t think she could cut with her teeth and swallow, but is left all up all kinked from the biting so it will no longer lay quite flat after the attack. I’m sure this is all quite fun for her. As for me...well, I've been picking seed beads out of the carpeting. Enough said.

Happy Birthday to me!

Well, some of you may have noticed that I went AWOL last week. I haven't really felt like blogging, so I haven't done it. But, to catch you up, I turned another year older last week (Wednesday was my birthday), but as usual, don't feel any different. Birthdays just don't seem nearly as exciting as they used to when I was little.

My co-workers decorated my cubicle at work with streamers and happy birthday banners (hard to miss). I got flowers delivered from my good friend in GA. Then after work I met up with Kristin for dinner and a little bit of shopping. Bad news for the Target crew, since they had started setting up the Halloween displays and there were items that said "try me." So we did... Maturity is for boring people.

A group of friends got together to celebrate my birthday on Sunday (which is actually my grade-school best friend's birthday!), which was fun. My friend from GA happened to be out visiting family, and Kerri came up from Sacramento to join us. And I made my first jewelry sale! I was wearing a piece that I had completed on Saturday night (I received a package from Aunt Fran that included some beads that were perfect for the necklace I was working on, so I used them right away), and one of my friends was admiring it, and asked if I'd make one for her. I told her I'd sell her this one and asked what she'd pay for it (she wouldn't let me just give it to her for free, I was ready to). So, I made $15. Yay me! I still don't have the website all set up yet, but I'll keep you all posted. I've made a few more items for it too.

All that glitters

I made the above bracelet at Kristin's request. This has lobster clasps at both ends to attach to her medical ID bracelet. I don't know what she'll think about it, and this picture sucks (batteries ran out after the shot, so it's the best I could do at this point. But it looks sparkly here), but it gives the general idea. All she told me was that she wanted something neutral that would go with everything. This is what I came up with, but I will make her one that I think will be sturdier, since she wears it all the time and I'm not sure how long this will hold up. I'm not worried about the beads (all glass) so much as the copper colored craft wire that's made of some un-named metal.

Anyway, thanks for all of the business name suggestions! My favorite so far is "Tami's Treasures." But, if anyone has additional ideas, I'm still considering. I'm also wondering - do I need to file for Fictitious Business Name? Crap, another thing to look up. I'm deciding that the CA Business Portal is not very user-friendly. The IRS site is only slightly better.

Well, I'm catching a certain kitty odor...I think that's my cue to clean out the litter box right quick. Fun!

Open to Suggestions

Okay, I'm seriously considering opening an Etsy shop where I can sell hand made jewelry and crocheted items. But, I need a business name. Any suggestions? Seriously, I need your help. Drop me a line with a good (or even mediocre) suggestion for what to call my little shop.

My reservations with opening a shop are that I'm not sure how often I'll be able to add anything to the shop, and I don't know if anyone will buy anything. Also, will I get in gear and ship any sales quickly? (I don't expect to have a ton of volume or anything, so this shouldn't be too much of a problem as long as I check my email frequently...) And, would I have to report the income on taxes? How does that work? How do I know how much to charge for things?

Argh...too many questions...

Surreality

Well, we got additional information about the severance plan today (no info on the retention package yet though). The severance is paid out based on length of time with the company, and is in the form of regular paychecks, including benefits. That's good, since it won't be taxed as a bonus and we won't have to do COBRA during that time. Also, in addition to the severance, the company is giving everyone 60 days paid notice, during which we'll receive our regular paychecks and benefits and not be required to work. (This is a legal requirement.) The severance begins after the 60 day notice period is over.



A lot of people were finishing up their last day today, and will be back tomorrow for the career development seminar. It's weird to see so many people go all at once. Sad. It will be worse tomorrow after the seminar. Then, with those of us left (outside of my department anyway) being spread out so much in the building, it will be quite different.

And speaking of sad, they cleaned out the marketing closet today and it was a madhouse in the hallway where they were placing the loot. It was pathetic...what a bunch of vultures! (And me at the forefront!) Dad - expect some goodies.



In other news, I made this the other day and wore it to work yesterday:

I liked the clasp so much I wore it in front

This is freshwater pearls and czech glass beads on wire. I got a few compliments on it, and some people telling me I should make more and sell them. I'm thinking about Etsy, but don't really know how it works. Here's a close-up:

I'm not sure how sturdy the wire is though, and am afraid it might break after a few wearings. I'll see how long it lasts. I don't know the best type of wire to use to crochet jewelry - I just hope this one didn't contain any lead.