Trying to be Good

I am trying to put $150 into my savings account each paycheck and then $150 to $200 towards my chase each month. Paying the minimum towards Kohl's and Elder-Beerman for now until my Chase gets to like $900-ish area. Trying not to spend so much money this pay period and slowly get Christmas presents for people ^^;. Though at the same time of saving money, I have to buy things for my table at A&G con... like the craft stuff to make with and such. I know I am going to lose money from the table, but people will know of my shop ^^;.

I am planning to get a car in the summer of 2011 or sooner (depending on my bill situation too). Which means it will be even longer until I can go to a Texas convention or Texas in general to visit friends. Family I can visit since I have a place to stay and food.

Right now this weekend I am going to work on making my gingerbread man flowers for Etsy and Artfire... then try on my snowflake ones ^___^... Here's a pic of the test run of the gingerbread man... test run number 2 will be better!! :

Candy Corn Kanzashi and Christmas items!

I created a Candy Corn themed Kanzashi (flower hair clip) for Halloween. I think it turned out well.



I am also working on Christmas scrabble tiles, so far I only have one posted up on artfire. Going to get two more up later today after going to work. I am currently working on a Gingerbread man themed Kanzashi for Christmas... might also make a snowflake one ^_^.

Handmade News - Building a Group Website, Part 1: Choosing a Host

A website can be helpful to get your team or guild known and, if done well, increase its credibility. However, before jumping into building your site, collect your thoughts and research each option carefully. This is an important and risky endeavor that could be very pricey. In my first, of this continuing series on building group websites, I will help to choose a host that is right for your groups needs. Choosing a host can be difficult, but with the right attitude and a hefty amount of planning, you should have all the necessary information on choosing the perfect host for your group...

Read more of this article here

Handmade News - HMN Spotlight Presents: the "Reclaimed to Fame" Market

In a green world where we need to conserve everything, the Reclaimed to Fame Market has stepped up to create beautiful recycled products for the people of 1000Markets.com. From cans to keys to old LPs, they use practically anything to create their great items. Majorie, of the shop MarjoriesCracked, opened Reclaimed to Fame on January 9th of this year, and she already has a pretty nice and diversified marketplace. Who would have thought that recycled items would look so nice? It must be true that one person’s trash is another’s treasure.

Read more here.

Handmade News - The Do's and Don'ts of Guilds and Teams

The creation of your Guild or Team should be a fun undertaking. Though, it’s not always easy to get one started, they can be very easy to ruin with the wrong structure. Following these simple strategies should have your group prospering in no time and keep your followers satisfied.

The Do's and Don'ts of Guilds and Teams

GIVEAWAY!!

Etsy Gamers Anime Team is having their first group giveaway! This is a winner take all giveaway, all of the items will go to one lucky winner. The giveaway will end on the 8th of June. Here are the pictures of the items ^_^ go here to find out more about the giveaway and how to enter.

Soooo much to do!

I have to start and finish on making 29 little cat heads and business cards for the ETC team promo swap. I also need to hurry and finish Whimsy's heartless replacement x_x. I have to start on an article for this week (the first one this week is an interview of a market leader).

Tomorrow us my team's giveaway that will be on Etsy Gamers Anime Team's blog... so look forward to that tomorrow ^_^. It's a winner takes all type of giveaway, so it will be interesting how well that does.

I have two new articles up on Handmade News ^_^ I hope you all will enjoy them!
Promoting Your Teams and Guilds at Craft Shows
How to Organize a Local Group Gathering

Mother's Day Results

Sunday was a good day for my family though my dad was out of town for it. After my youngest sister got home from work, my mom opened her gifts from all of us, which my siblings outdid me this year. I just learned that outdid is actually one word, lol, yay for dictionary.com. They got her an AeroGarden (a $200 valued item) that the three split together and I got her three miniature Bath and Body Works products of one scent that she liked (a $15 valued item). I also have to remember myself that I made her a Giraffe Scrabble Tile Pendant ($6) and strawberry flavored bon bons this week, so I didn't do too bad. Guess what she seemed to like more though? I don't blame her!

After she opened her gifts, my brother, mom, and myself went out to dinner at Olive Garden (hmm.. AeroGarden... Olive Garden... is there a theme?). When we got there we were told it was an hour wait and we decided to wait it out, but luckily it was a ten minute wait. At first I thought time flied pretty fast. Last time I had Olive Garden was three years ago since back then the food wasn't good, so I was surprised how good it is now.

Right now I am working on editing my listings descriptions to make them sound better and show up in more searches on Etsy. Also need to add glaze to my tri-pendant Scrabble Tiles, that will be listed on Artfire in the morning.

O_O FASTEST SALE EVER!

I posted up one of my scrabble tile pendants late yesterday... new it was late, but still posted it anyways. I posted the picture of it everywhere I can: Deviantart, plurk, twitter, crafterzone, indiepublic, and so on. I wake up this morning to find that it had sold already! It sold last night!! O_O! I was surprised because I usually don't sell stuff that fast. I am soooooo doing the happy dance now, lol!

So after that one sold I just listed my newer one to etsy and see if it will have the same magic as the other! I am going to try to post one once a day to keep my view up in my shop ^__^.

Also I am trying to get back into posting here everyday again. Bad me for not doing so lately T_T

So Very Excited!

So lately I have been going to job interviews (been jobless for nine months) and filling out applications while working on etsy stuff to sell.

Well today I have been making scrabble tile pendants and talking to people online... and all of a sudden the house phone rings, which I usually ignore b/c it's usually unknown name. My dad answered the phone and it turned out to be for me... so I am like CRAP! Because I thought it would be the credit people after me... yeah, having no money b/c of being jobless, makes a lot of bills pile up and mess up the credit (*shakes fist at medical bills*). Oh well, it is all of my fault for that to have happened to me.

It turned out to be my old job (Wal-mart) asking for me to come tomorrow for a job interview at 10am! I am so excited! I would love to have my old job back ^___^! I am soooooo hoping to get the job!

Then also would be waiting for a call from speedway tomorrow... I don't know if I will be getting a call from them or not, but we shall see.

Too bad I couldn't get both jobs, lol.

Booth 402

A friend of mine (Bon Bon Babe) has a booth at Treasure Aisles and allowed me to put my kanzashi flowers there to sell... so while I was there I got Carrot Cake Bon Bons and Peanut Butter Fudge. They are AMAZING! The Fudge was only 10 dollars for a pound! That is very very cheap, you spend like double or triple that at other places! I can't put it down and Justin can't as well! Justin is a very very picky eater, so yeah, lol.

Everything is reasonable prices and soooo yummy ^___^ I am hoping to take my mom there one weekend.

Oh! And she had scented candles too! They smell so nice. I got myself a cinnamon bun scented one. Also got a pair of earrings too that I will take pictures of later.

If you live in Ohio, you must go to Treasure Aisles at 402! Try the sample of glass candy and pralines! Buy foods, jewelry, and candles. If you don't live in Ohio, go to her site to check it out ^___^ https://www.shakeyourbonbons.com/

So far Justin's mom likes the bon bons a lot as well ^___^ still waiting for my family to try it out.

So Proud of Myself!

I just made this for a customer ^____^ I am hoping to make more with brocade fabric this week to put up in etsy.






Justin and I are thinking of going to a craft show in Columbus later this year. Going to make at least 10 hats, 100 pendants, 50 clay items, and maybe 30 flowers/kanzashi. We have most of the materials already... gonna start on the flowers first since I need them anyways for the site.

Etsy Gamers Anime Team

AKA EGAT! I am working on making this team for anime, video game, and Japanese cultured fans. To be a member, you don't have to have anything related to thoses, but would be nice if you did. Also don't have to go to conventions... just a place for people that like these things.

More of a team to help each other to learn of new stuff in those three topics and give ideas to members that make things based off of those topics. To meet new friends that have the same interest... maybe even find items from other members that you want to buy. Even give each other hints what is becoming popular in etsy to be sold in those subjects.

This team is more for fun.

People can find local artists in the group to go to conventions together... maybe get artists tables to share and the like.

There is no fee to enter this team. If I get a lot of people that want to join this team... I will work on making a ning site or something for us to talk through.

Again to join... you just have to be an anime lover, gamer (doesn't have to be japanese games), and Japanese culture fan.

If you want to join go to this thread on etsy on comment on it... Etsy Gamers Anime Team

Are We Alone? Part 2

I posted about part 1 in my Livejournal and got this response from a friend's husband:

"When I use to wait, it was customary to not give the change amount unless it was a large amount then we would add another dollar or work off quarters alone. You might not know this but at a lot of waiters don't work out of a till but out of pocket and it's a hassle to get exact change. You have to go to the bar and ask for it (depends on the establishment). I think I only had one or two people complain in my whole career (but then again most of the time I gave more back). We figured you'd notice and subtract/add that amount from/to the tip. I can definitely see where this is annoying to you, but realize it's probably the restaurant putting the burden on the waiter and they probably don't want to risk losing part of their tip by giving you a whole dollar back. In this case, I would have and it would annoy me if a waitor did this to me as well."

My reply to it:

Most people don't notice... it is still stealing. It would be different if the waiter/waitress let the person/people know they didn't have the money to give exact change back, so the person can subtract it from the tip.

It has been happening ever since they have talked about getting rid of the penny again.

Then places need to change it so waiters work out of a till and not out of pocket. The funny thing is the places that do this the most to me... I know they work out of tills and not of pocket since I have/had friends that work at those places. Also I see the waitresses/waiters go to tills to get the change.

Well either deal with the hassle to get the change or get in trouble from a customer complaining to a manager how many times this has happened to them? I think I rather deal with the hassle than get in trouble.

My bf's brother that is a bar manager at BW3s up here even has seen it going at his place and here's the people bragging about how much they ripped off from people. I think he's about to have a word with other manager about it though.

Anding more to this...

I don't care what the excuse is... it is still steal to me... They shouldn't decide for me how much of a tip they get. Also for the ones keep saying that they only make like 2 to 2.50 an hour, it's different in every state, in ohio it is close to 4 dollars an hour and it raising again later this year. There are TWO minimum wages: one for tip and one for non-tip.

Are we alone?

Okay... my family, myself, and my boyfriend are all wondering this... is this just our area and Ohio or other states are doing this too?

We will go out to eat and when bill time comes... you pay at the table, wait for change, and your change is wrong. Let's say you were suppose to get back 13.77 and you only got 13.00... you ask the waitress your 77 cents and she is surprised that you want it, but still gives it to you. You go to another place and they short you 80 cents again and your change ended in the 80 (I ended up taking it out of her tip). Places are rounding down the change to give you... Sometimes your receipt will even have the change amount on it...

Is anywhere else is this happening?

If not sure, count the change you get back. It may not seem like a lot at the time, but if you go out to eat a lot... it will be a lot at the end of the year.

I think next time one of the places do it to me again, I am getting a manager to tell them their people are stealing money from his customers. It's not right at all and it is stealing!

I Hate Medical Bills.

Soooo finally contacted my insurance about my bills and they took care of a big chunk out of one of them that was originally 1,772 and now is 187. The rest nothing yet, so I sent them another message with all of the claim numbers and told them there is no chance they are pre-existing conditions since I have been with them for a year and a half, so that period of time is gone. There is a 39.66 (newly adjusted), 531.61 (newly adjusted), 145.00, 467.00, 47.00, 187.58 (newly adjusted), 782.00, 33.00 bills... and I have no job (been jobless for 8 months and no one is hiring, *sighs*). I have a total of 2,232.85 in medical bills *sighs*... I pray my tax return is big and I get my b-day and easter money early so I can pay off 170 of my bills.

Waiting for the others to get adjusted hopefully soon... also I don't know why, but the 531.61 is charging me for Applied to 2008 Health Care Plan Deductible and Applied to your Health Care Credit Benefit when I applied for health care back in 2006... I don't understand this.

On top of that I have monthly bills from kohl's, elder beerman, and chase... which are like another total of 2000 bucks *falls over dead*

I just hope I can start selling more... I need to work on a lot of new items soon as soon as I am done with this dress.

Treasury I am in!

Sometimes you feel like a nut... sometimes you don't! I am in TheBeadedHeart's treasury called A Few of My Favorite Nuts Part 2. I love being in treasuries, hehe... been trying hard to get in one.

I need to continue my posting everyday like I use to ^_^... I need to make a post of the giveaways that I have won. When I get the other 2 giveaways to take pictures of i will do so ^_^.

Barely Making It

I have to hurry and make this one dress by the 1st to ship out... thank god I won the bid since I really really needed the money to pay my coming up bills... 40 from my bank card, 10 from khol's and don't know about my other card. I have less than 140 in my saving account.... and going to be 8 months soon without a job. I am stressing sooo much about it.

I am my shop starts selling more or... I get a job soon. Wish me luck please?

Happy Valentine Everyone ^___^~!

Happy Valetine, hope you all have a great one~! Today Justin and I aren't planning for much today... just to be with each other, exchange cards, me surprising him with something (lol, not a baby!), and going getting cheap food. Yes, I said cheap food, lol... since we have our 6 month anniversary on Wednesday and we all know restaurants will be loud and crowded tonight, we decided to celebrate both on Wednesday for both.

Oh yeah! Today I am featured on Whimsy's blog, go check it out

Also my v-day and kitty items are still an additional 15% off~!

Found Another Blog Giveaway~!

CatherinetteRings is having a giveaway on her blog

There's many ways to enter... the winners at the end of February and March will win a chance to pick any Steampunk rings of 45 dollars and at the end of April a steampunk bracelet of 80 dollars.