Showing posts with label Bead Dreams 2010 contest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bead Dreams 2010 contest. Show all posts

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Tangible Tidbits 2010 #36: A Business Plan & Dreams

I'm doing this today instead of tomorrow because I have a lot of thoughts running around in my head right now and I want to get them out. Sometimes, writing helps. ;)

First, the business stuff. I attended a workshop hosted by SCORE, a group of retired business people who volunteer to counsel entrepreneurs, on "Starting and Managing Your Own Business" at the local library earlier in the week. I am registered for three more workshops with them this fall. The main thing I got out of this one is that I need to write up a business plan. Apparently, they are required if you want to obtain a business loan from a bank. My chiropractor suggested I get a template program from Staples (think "Business Plans for Dummies") and just fill in the blanks. That will be my next big project after I finish with the database, I guess. :\

On the personal front, I raised $104+ for Fondation MIRA in the first round of my Virtual Garage Sale auction. Not too bad, considering there were only half a dozen people bidding. I'm hoping that word will spread over the coming weeks, so that it will attract more bidders. I sold half of the items I listed, so I'm happy to get that much out of my house! LOL

Here's where I will get a little deep, so if you're not interested in that, feel free to disregard the rest of this message. ;) I don't often dream when I sleep, or if I do, I don't usually remember them. Lately, I've been having very clear, detailed dreams. I think I've had four or five this week. The overall theme seems to be loss, isolation, and loneliness. Given everything I've gone through so far this year, it's not really surprising that's where my subconscious goes. What bothers me is that most of the dreams seem to end with a dramatic sad or tragic ending. If the Universe is trying to tell me something, I don't think I want to know what it is! :o Many years ago as a teen, I had a dream that I was an old woman sitting in a rocking chair and I felt myself die. That scared the crap out of me, but the feeling that I will die old and alone has never really left me. In the past few years, I thought I'd made significant progress in dealing with my long-time emotional issues and healing from them. I guess that was just an illusion, because right now, I feel like I'm starting all over at the beginning again, and that I'm still damaged. It's very disconcerting to think that all of the progress I thought I'd made wasn't real. I went off of one of my anti-depressants at the beginning of the summer (with the consent of my psychiatrist), but I guess maybe it's time to go back on it again. :( Most of my life, I've kind of subscribed to the "fake it 'til you make it" philosophy. I guess my "act" fooled even me for a while. My question is, if you fake it over a long period of time, at what point does it stop being fake and start being who you truly are? :p

Well, enough of that! Off to get my oil changed and figure out what I'm putting up in next week's auction, which starts on Tuesday night.

Enjoy the weekend and have a good week! :)
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Sunday, April 25, 2010

Tangible Tidbits 2010 #15: Stay Tuned...

There's a good chance I'll have a BIG announcement to make next week, but I don't want to say anything until it's official, as it might not work out. Fingers crossed! ;)

A good friend ordered one of the Zodiac cameo bookmarks I made recently. I made it on a lark...I had bought two Capricorn cameos, but I wasn't sure what I would do with them. Once they arrived, I wasn't really thrilled with how they looked (one of the perils of ordering materials online). One happened to fit in a filigree setting I had lying around, so I decided to put them together on a gunmetal bookmark, which I also bought a short time ago with no specific plan in mind. It looks really great! Unfortunately, shell cameos are a bit pricey and so the bookmark costs a bit more than most people would probably pay for a bookmark. Since I'm a Capricorn, I may end up keeping it for myself! LOL

Luckily for me and my friend, Wire-Sculpture.com is having a sale on cameos this weekend! Sometimes, Lady Luck just smiles on you, eh? :D

Almost finished with the St. Petersburg Medallion bracelet from my workshop a couple of weeks ago. I'm not happy with some of the medallions, particularly the center one, so I may take them apart and start again now that I know more what I'm doing. ;)

I'm also making a presentation binder with photos of all of my pieces to loan a coworker. She asked me for one to take to an Eastern Star meeting, How could I refuse that kind of opportunity? I'm pleased with how the binder is turning out, but it's very time (and ink!) consuming. :p

Two coworkers are working hard at convincing me to register for the a craft show being held at Nomahegan Park in Cranford, NJ next month. I have enough pieces, but the cost for a table is a bit steep. Still, my friends assure me that I'll make it back easily. Since I have to reduce my inventory due to storage space. My sister gave me a huge wooden jewelry box that you can hang on the wall like a medicine cabinet for my birthday last year. It's FULL. That's how I know I have enough pieces for the craft show. LOL I'll keep you posted if I decide to do it.

I also heard back from the Bead Dreams 2010 contest and my Welcome Back Spring! necklace was not accepted. That's okay...I didn't really expect it to be. So, it will be up on the site for sale in the next couple of days (I have a number of additions/edits to make, so I will hopefully get to them one night this week). :)

Enjoy your week!
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Sunday, April 4, 2010

Tangible Tidbits 2010 #12: Welcome Back Spring!

Happy Easter and a belated Happy Passover to those who celebrate; Happy Spring to everyone else! :D

I've been busy working on a project for Bead & Button magazine's Bead Dreams 2010 contest, which has an entry deadline of Monday, April 5 (tomorrow). I got inspired by some Crazy Lace Agate round beads I bought earlier this week in ruby and larimar blue, paired them up with lavender and royal blue irregular Mother of Pearl squares I already had, added some of my own handcrafted wire "spring" beads in sapphire blue and pink, plus 1mm azure and merlot WireLace(R) accents to create a two-strand Welcome Back Spring necklace for the contest. I also made two pairs of earrings -- I liked the idea of a mis-matched set, one blue and one ruby...but decided to make a pair of each color in case some people didn't "get" that concept -- and a bracelet to match. Pictures will most likely be posted tomorrow, since I have to upload the photos of the necklace for the contest application. ;) I can't sell the necklace until after the contest is over, since they may want the original for the next round of judging, but I'll add it to the Facebook Fan Page and the Something Tangible website GALLERY so you can see it. :)

Still working on earrings for a colleague at my office. One pair of clip earrings has turned into four so far. :D I've come up with a kewl design with 6mm WireLace(R), seed beads and one larger focal bead that looks like a flower. You may have seen the pink version on the Facebook Fan Page or in the GALLERY this past week. I'll be making another pair in blue and possibly yellow [the WireLace(R) colors marigold and pale gold aren't very "yellow," so I'm not sure about that pair yet...we may go in a different direction altogether]. I like the design a lot, and I want to find a way to make it more versatile.

Had my first client offer to keep me "on retainer" today! :D I repaired a charm bracelet for an old friend that she's had since she was a child. She adds a charm whenever she travels somewhere new. I replaced all of the jump rings for her because the ones she had didn't close properly, most likely due to years of repositioning the charms. So, she's decided she wants me to maintain the bracelet for her, since it's such a prized possession! How kewl is that? It may not ever be a very lucrative project, but loyalty definitely counts for something! ;)

Have a great week everybody! :D
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