Baby steps

I actually MADE something! Woohoo! How sad is it that I'm excited over 6 little headpins? LOL!

A nice lady ordered these stitch markers last nite but needs them on larger rings. I do not have split rings in the larger size so I made xtra long headpins to use instead. Now I will change out the remaining beads, package up the goodies and head to the PO.

They are a tiny little accomplishment but still an accomplishment. This is the first time I've been to the Happy Room (and sold anything) in 3 weeks. Maybe it's the nudge I need. ....I certainly hope so. :)

BlogExplosion

Does anyone else use BlogExplosion? I signed up via a link on a friend's blog, thinking it would be a good way to bring traffic (and hopefully etsy traffic) to my blog.

I signed up on January 7th. 10 days later my account is still "waiting for approval" by administration. The website says it normally takes 2 or 3 days. So on January 16th I opened a support ticket and asked about it. Curious if it meant my blog was NOT approved. Today it is January 29th and my account has still not been approved and my support ticket has not been replied to!

So I'm wondering....are they always this useless and stupid? There's nothing quite as annoying as being totally ignored, ya know? I have 3 children that can do that for me. I don't need it from total strangers.

I'm still alive

My how time flies when you feel like crap. :) Remember me mentioning the "prozac for preggos"? Well it made me siiiiick. Like can not get off the couch I'm so nauseous kind of sick. Plus insomnia! All last week I could not function during the days and could not sleep at nite. It was greeeat. Needless to say, Saturday a.m. I had had ENOUGH. I called the after-hours nurse and asked if I could stop taking the meds. (You are supposed to be weined off SSRI meds.) Luckily I had only taken 5 so the doctor said just stop them. YAY!!
Saturday I started feeling better. By Sunday nite the grumpy bitch monster was back. BUT! I can function again and do the things I need to do each day.

I have not been in the happy room for about TWO weeks now. This is a picture of the last thing I worked on. I made 2 sets of my tile heart beads that got so much positive feedback. These new beads are a simpler version. No mica shift this time. I made pink/black and red/black. This picture is the red. (The picture stinks.) I took step-by-step pics in hopes of doing a narrated picture video tute. Alas, that didn't happen. The beads have been baked, partially sanded, and sit on my Happy Table collecting dust. So much for a timely Valentine's day addition to my etsy store. :o{

This picture makes me giggle. I did not realize, until after downloading the pictures, that I was holding the blade upside down. DOH! :)

Colorful new treasury

I've been trying and finally snagged a treasury spot today!
Once again featuring "fewbies". Which is my word for shops with few or no sales. (Newbie is not always an accurate word, ya know?)
Please visit it and click on the photos. It helps promote the shops. And who knows...you might see something you can't live without! :)

P.S...if YOU are a fewbie and would like to be featured please leave me a comment or send me and etsy convo. I'm always on the lookout!

The GIMP

No, I have not fallen and injured myself. I am referring to the graphic editing program.

Now that we have the new laptop, I can't use either of my antique editing programs (PhotoImpact 5, Paint Shop Pro 5). I was researching it yesterday and decided I wanted to try something free before spending $89.99 on a new version of the old favorites. So I downloaded GIMP. It appears to be one of the most downloaded and user preferred free programs out there. But man oh man...it's not like anything I've used before.

I spent probably 30 minutes last nite and then another 45 this morning just trying to edit ONE picture. OY! Now it's nearly 8am and my kiddos will start waking soon and I've not made it to the Happy Room yet. :( Anyway...back to GIMP. I think once I get my Gimpy groove on it will be a suitable program for me. Since I don't design web graphics anymore I only need it for editing photos. It crops, it adjusts colors, it sharpens, and it saves. That about covers it all for me! LOL!

Here's my first successful GIMP edit. A big, fun, chunky ring that will go in the Etsy store later. (as soon as I can edit 3 or 4 more pictures of it!)

Later taters! :)

Juliespace

Create Mosaic Pendant
Originally uploaded by juliespace

I mentioned um...weeks ago that I was going to blog about a newly discovered PC artist. Well here I am finally DOING it. I'm looking back at my flickr mail right now...I discovered Juliespace on December 5th. Boy I'm a slacker! LOL!

Anyway! I noticed Julie's mosaic jewelry first on flickr. I enjoy how she uses the clay WITH other types of items. Very nifty stuff.
She also makes these happy flower spirit sticks that make me smile. As well as! Recent additions of neptune and green man pendants. She doesn't have just one "style" which I always enjoy. I *heart* eclectic. :) I think you'll enjoy her flickr or her etsy shop.

Livin' in a box

I'm livin' in a cardboard box.

Well, not really. But I was thinking about thinking outside the box and that 80's song popped into my head. :) Anyway...on to more clay related issues.

I haven't been in a blogging mood lately b/c I haven't been in a talkative mood lately. Actually I've been in a grumpy funk for WEEKS now. My family is thinking about voting me off the island. Consequently my blogging is suffering as well. I have been uploading a few items to my Etsy shop though.

All stitch markers as you can see. I enjoy making these little tattered hearts and flower beads. But they don't really stretch my imagination and skill level, you know? BUT...the time I'm spending in my Happy Room is therapeutic even if it's not ground-breaking creative time. :)

I have made one bead set that is different from my norm. I chose to use acrylic paint for these.

The next time I make the striped spacer beads I will make the stripes begin AND end with black.

I have a few other bead sets 1/2 finished on the table right now. Hopefully this week will be another productive one. Sadly I have to trade a clean house for Happy Room time...but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do! ;)

Screw You Cupid!

Screw You Cupid!
Originally uploaded by ~Christie

I had a deeeliteful time assembling this treasury. I loooove winged hearts! And stitched or repaired hearts. And...hearts in general. :) There are some COOL items in it. Please go have a looksee.