Front Page Again!!

Wow I feel so blessed to be on the front page again. That is a total of 4 times! My purse sold almost instantly. Funny how things have a way of working out, especially after I just finished composing a blog on upcoming goals.

A special shout out and thank you to ElzyStudio for choosing my bag:)

Ready set...Goal

What an eventful week. All of my hard work on Etsy finally paid off. I am the proud owner of a brand spanking new Scion XB 2011. Yaaaay I did it:) one of the first new years resolutions I actually stuck to. The car has been great, gas is much better too so more money in my pocket. My friend Melissa already nicknamed the car...Perry the Platupus don't askK lol!


I have also made the decision its time to start getting healthy again. This means eating better and resuming a workout schedule. Today I went back to the gym for the first time since gettingmarried, over 2 years ago. I ran a mile in 18:46. Pretty pathetic seeing I used to be able to run one in ten minutes. We all need to start somewhere.

The point of this blog is to announce my newest goals for the end of 2010. Thus far its been a great year. I have been focused and have met all the goals I have set before myself, so now its time to make new ones. I plan on continuing to grow both of my etsy shops. Hair.Sew.Vintage will be launching a woodland series of hair combs perfect for fall and winter brides or any holiday festvities coming up. I plan on getting fit again and recreating myself. New look, new hair, new posative outlook on life. Now that I have my car I need another reason to save money, another big goal. I have decided to start a cd account with the bank. They have hight intrest rates and you can't touch the money. Maybe a new house will be in our future?? Let's just see what happens;)

To highlight or not to highlight

I usually get this itch for a make-over every so often. I think its just human nature for us girls. Due to the damage caused by highlights I have let my hair rest for about 2 whole years!! I have made slight changes to the "do" such as coloring it either dark brown, brownish red, or black in the winter. I have not done anything drastic in a long time. I always keep my hair at a long length. That way I can wear it straight or curly. I usually cut a few layers to make it look full and frame my face. I would feel naked without my length. So its the same ole cut for me, but I did make an appointment for highlights Monday evening:X



I am thinking full head with my base color of dark brown/black and adding some streaks in red and caramel. Hope it comes out pretty especially seeing I sell hair accessories on Etsy. I can't be sporting jacked up hair...no can I? Well here's to my last weekend of being a brunette...at least for awhile;)

Front Page of Etsy

Hooray for being on the front page of Etsy.com...again:)

This time was July 30th 2010 at 3pm.

The free publicity resulted in 4 sales. A special thank you & shout out to the creator of the treasury...BeadsBaublesNBangles

Welcome Summer...fresh item just listed

Hooray for 3 and 1/2 day weekend. I was so ready for a mini vacation. I was able to put some of my time off into good use. After getting out of work yesterday at 1pm I headed straight for the thrift store. I found a super cute pair of Ballet flats and fun little clutch. Both were embellished last night while I watched "The Orphan" on HBO on demand. What inspiration Tee Hee!! Many new items from my summer collection have been listed so check out the shop.

My mom and I are planning an out of town thrift store/ antiquing getaway in a few weeks. We are hoping to find some good deals to use in our shops. I have a stash of crochet goodies to use in my hair combs, that is my project for tonight along with a bit of laundry and cleaning in between. I hope everyone has a happy 4th of July :)

Tomorrow I will be spending time with my mom, stepdad, and grandparents. My grandparent are getting ready to go on a 2 moth trip to New York to see our other family members. Granny is making me my fave a homemade cheesecake topped with cherries, yummmmmy=P There will be plenty of Bud light Lime to go around, so looking forward to this feast. Be safe everyone. TTYL

Question & Answer

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I am 29 years old going on 21. I work as an accountant for a travel agency, but my dream is to work in the dental field. I just completed a one year program for dental assisting and plan on looking for either a job, or an internship - whatever comes first. I married my soul-mate on 6/7/08. We reside in Deland, FL with our 2 dogs. I could not imagine living anywhere else. I just can not picture myself trudging through snow...Yucko!

Apart from creating things, what do you do?

I live in Florida so most of my free time is spent doing some type of activity in the sun. My husband and I have season passes to all of the Disney parks, including the waterparks. Orlando is just under an hour away from where we live. Every other weekend we drive down and go to the waterparks and also stop by some of my favorite shops and malls.

What first made you want to become an artist?

Both my mom and grandmother have always been crafty. I think I inherited my creativity from them. My mom is a teddy bear artist, she also sells on etsy www.crocheteddybears.etsy.com I started by cross stitching at a young age. Later in life my mother taught me how to crochet.

Please describe your creative process.

I turned our spare bedroom into a movie theater/ studio for my Etsy projects. My husband was on board since I mentioned the room would contain a 50 inch flat screen plasma TV and a Blu-Ray player. I painted the walls pink, which he was not to happy about, but sometimes you just have to compromise...Especially when I am used to getting what I want. When it is time to create I go into my studio. I have a comfy chair and a large craft table topped with all kinds of flowers, leaves, and sparkly objects. My husband usually accompanies me. We either pop in a blu-ray or we also have Netflix, one of the greatest inventions ever. No matter what I need something in the background to be able to start designing. Then I plug in the glue gun, pull out a comb, and start layering flowers until it turns into something pretty. Sometimes I google and print out pictures for inspiration.

What handmade possession do you most cherish?

When I first designed my studio I begged my mom to make me a few handmade items. You would think that it would be an easy request, after all I am her daughter! My mother had a lot of special orders she was doing for some of her repeat customers, so it was hard for her to find the time. She did surprise me with a tiny handmade monkey for valentines day. It has the cutest face. The eyes she used were hand-painted by another etsy artist.

Name your top five books, movies, musicians, and websites besides Etsy.

Movies:

Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter, Twilight, Night of the Living Dead, & Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Books:

Twilight, Harry Potter, Anything by Stephen King

Websites:

Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, forever21, & wetseal.com

Music:

Lady Gaga, Sean Kingston, Katy Perry, Justin Beiber, & Madonna

Super Hot Treasury...Featuring my latest Crown

Super Cute treasury featuring my latest crown...Elven Queen

Copy & paste the code below into your browser to view

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c2d4fd5478e6d91379fe987/for-the-love-of-brown

Too view the item paste the code below to your browser...

http://www.etsy.com/listing/50633997/elven-queen-wire-vine-crown-woodland?ref=tre-4c2d4fd5478e6d91379fe987-5

ONLY $28.00!!

Elven Queen is a beautiful crown, perfect to wear to an outdoor fair or parade. Would also be adorable for a simple wedding or even an engagement photo shoot. The fully adjustable crown is topped with tiny flowers in fall colors, pearls, and super cute leaves. The leaves are green with a glittery gold finish. What a fun look!


♥♥About Hair.Sew.Vintage Crowns♥♥:

♥They are fully adjustable and bendable to create a totally effortless whimsical look.

♥The wire bark like base is woven and twisted with two loops on the ends (perfect for stringing with ribbon or bobby pinning in place!)

♥They can be worn like a traditional headband or lower down on the head more like a tiara.

♥Great for Weddings, Baby/Bridal Showers, Birthday Parties, Prom, Garden Parties, Photo Shoots, or any formal event

Team Jacob

I am so jealous. Tonight at midnight the much anticipated 3rd installment of the Twilight series hits the big screen. I wish my hubby wasn't on the damn night shift so we could see Eclipse. Instead he is slaving away at the jail as what I like to call an overpaid babysitter. I guess Bella, Edward, and Jacob will have to wait until tomorrow.

One thing about my personality is I ALWAYS root for the underdog, so I am Team Jacob. Don't get me wrong, I love me some Edward...he is one hot vamp, however, I prefer my men with a tan. This post reminds me of a seller on etsy that paints vampire slogans on mugs. One of my favorite saying's is "I like my men tall, dark, and dead." LOL :D

Too bad I already know what happens in the movie because I read all of the books. I won't spoil it for the ones that haven't:)

Ps If you are into the Twilight series, I recommend watching the HBO show TrueBlood. Its sooo good.

How Annoying!! My first blog rant >:O

So last night my T-Mobile Sidekick decided to crap out on me. The little rolley scroll ball no longer wants to go up and down. OK too bad you need the ball to do just about EVERYTHING. How frustrating, I have only had the darn phone for about a year. There is another button that does scrolling...BUT it does more of a page up page down type of thing. Therefore I can not text, can not click on people in my address book, and can not go to my internet bookmarks. Its going to be a bit before I can buy a new one. I know I will be charged full price instead of an upgrade, because I haven't had this POS for 2 years.




In other news My little furry woofer is still battling her disease called Pemphigus. I don't think I have blogged about it before...Its an immune mediated disease where the immune system attacks the skin as if it were a foreign object. The best human disease example I can give, is its like lupus. Tilly's hair falls out in certain spots and she gets scabs. It is happening mostly on her back so I try to keep a little sundress on her to hide it. Some people are so ignorant, I swear. They ask what is wrong with her...I tell them, and the 1st thing they ask is...Is it contagious?? Not unless you can "catch" my dogs immune system...which luckily for you is biologically impossible!! DUMMIES. Go back to High School biology. Tilly is going to a doggy dermatologist, which let me tell you is NOT cheap. She has been battling this disease for about a year now. First she was on steroids to suppress her immune system, but they are unsafe for long term use. Steroids can cause liver and other organ damage. The vet is currently weaning her off that medication and replacing it with another. She has another appointment next week. Hopefully this new medication will put the disease in remission. Unfortunately it will be something she has to deal with for the rest of her life. She still acts a 100% like her normal self. I feel bad for her so mommy has been spoiling little T with her favorite bones. They are covered in oats. After she finishes one, she licks the oats out of her paws for the rest of the night:D Its soo cute!

Dental School Graduate

So I know its been too long since my last post, BUT, good news...I am an official Dental School Graduate!! I finished my dental assisting program with a 94%. What a relief to be done. The program was so interesting I really think I can make a real career in the dental field. I have always longed to do something in the medical field. I come from a family of 2 nurses. With the economy the way it is, it would be comforting to know you have job stability. I have looked in the local newspapers for assisting jobs. Most of them require 6 months to a year of experience. I can see why, a lot of time and effort goes into the training for this occupation from x-rays to learning all the OSHA and safety regulations. Doctors probably prefer someone who has already been trained. Now that I have finished school I am going to look for an internship to gain some experience. This profession offers so many different opportunities too. I am not limited to just a general practice, I can also work in orthodontics (braces), periodontics (gums and surrounding bone), endodontics (root canals), or with an oral surgeon (wisdom teeth extractions & jaw surgery.)

Hopefully I can find a practice open on Saturdays for the internship. I still need my Mon-Friday job for now. I am working in accounting, been at the same place for about 2 years now. It is useful experience seeing I am very good with Quickbooks and other office programs. Sometimes they start dental assistants at the front desk first.

Its been about a year since I got my braces on. My teeth are almost perfectly straight. Then its onto bite correction. I remember growing up and being super self conscious about my smile. Not anymore! How ironic it will be going from the girl who smiled with her hand over her mouth to a certified dental assistant...Someone who educates others on cavity prevention and proper oral hygiene. I can hardly wait to see where this program takes me :) :) :)

Looking forward to VaCaTiOn

(Whoa..Look how tan I used to be!!)

Only 3 more working days left until my vacation. Hooooray:O) My husband is taking time off too. We always take a week around this time of year for our wedding anniversary. I want to watch movies, relax, do Etsy stuff, go to the beach, & use our super fun Disney season passes. Magic Kingdom...here I come!




My sneeky husband & our famous wedding cake food fight



06/07/08 Me & my hubby with my mom

Summer Fairytale Collection 2010

This collection was inspired by my love of fairytales. It was shot at Sugar Mill Gardens by both myself and Photographer Robert Fulco. The model is Tasha Fulco. These accessories are available now at www.hairsewvintage.etsy.com

SPRING SUMMER GARDEN COLLECTION 2010

My Spring Summer Garden Collection 2010 is finally here!!! Look for me on etsy www.hairsewvintage.etsy.com



Look for new combs to be listed every night



I will ntroducing my new crown series Tuesday evening

Pattern Sale on Etsy

Pattern Sale on Etsy!! Buy 3 Get one FREEEEEE. Who doesn't like Free?!?!? Its simple, just buy 3 patterns. Then you pay through paypal. In the notes section of paypal tell me which pattern you want for free. Then all 4 patterns get emailed to you. Super Easy=)


www.hairsewvintage.etsy.com

SALE SALE SALE SALE

I have been racking my brain trying to think of a good sale to have in my Etsy shop. My store is so diverse, I sell patterns, crochet animals, & hair accessories...I just don't know what to put on sale or what kind of deal to make. The only thing I know is I want to give people a GREAT deal and make some $ales=)) Any suggestions??


On a side note, I only need 10.00 to have my down payment for my car!! HOOORAYYY. I saved up tons of money in my paypal account from a combination of ebay and etsy sales. Yay pat on the back for me. I only owe 1700 on the SUV I drive now. That means either June or July I should have my new car...go me!

Spring...I LOVE YOU

TGI SPRING!! Its about time. I was missing you. Your warm rays of sunshine on my face. Your sand between my toes. Your fashion, colors, flowers, holidays, bbq's & music. With you back, it means your friend Summer will come soon. How I LOVE you both.



Its time to ditch the sweaters, scarves, boots, & hats...trade them in for bikinis, sandals, sunglasses, flip flops, halter dresses, & super cute hair accessories. www.hairsewvintage.etsy.com




Also making a debut on Etsy...2 new crochet patterns. Maggie with her Teddy & Carnival Clarabell. Bright colors for this magical time of year.

I have reached celebrity status!!

GOOOOOOOD news...I made the front page of ETSY.com. Whoop whoop. The best part is I never even realized it until months later! Haha=) I have been dreaming of making the front page since starting on Etsy 9/2/09. I just never kept up with looking to see if I had. Well after some research on craftcult.com searching through the vault, I noticed I made the front page on 9/26/09. This was a Saturday evening at 8pm. I had only been on Etsy a whole 24 days. YiPPPPeeee. By the way, the item sold that very day.


Here is a link to the vault to see for yourself:

http://craftcult.com/vault_list.php?list=5541&userid=&fm=2&esn=hairsewvintage&m=3&d=16&st=2&pagenum=1&ls=0

Here is the Etsy listing:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30483253&ref=API_juln_CraftCult

Spring Cleaning

Ahh the dreaded “spring cleaning”. Sometimes I feel like there are not enough hours in the day to get things done. If I put 100% effort into a project, then other tasks fall by the way side. I have put so much energy into designing some new patterns for my Etsy store… As a result my home looks like it was struck by a tornado. I spent all weekend making 2 monkeys for my latest pattern. The pattern will hit Etsy sometime later this week. www.hairsewvintage.etsy.com. Once I was done with the second critter I hurriedly listed both on Ebay and then breathed a long sigh of relief. I decided to make a pact with myself that I would do a thorough spring cleaning. In order to focus on this cleaning extravaganza, I have made the very hard decision to put down my crochet hook for the next week! That’s right, NO crocheting for a solid week. It may be hard since I am so addicted to creating things, but I vow to put the hook down and concentrate on cleaning and catching up on my studies. I have enlisted the help of my husband. Together we should be able to whip our home into tip top shape. Be able to “eat off the floor” tehe=)

I have a little reward to look forward to next week. I am taking 2 vacation days to spend time with my mommy. We are working on yet another new crochet critter pattern for Etsy. The critter will be announced soon so stay tuned. While on my mini vaca, Lionsgate will be releasing horrorfest 2010 The 8 Movies To Die for onto DVD. I foresee a few trips to B-Buster since my mother and I are huge low budget horror fans. I could use a breather from my 9-5er. Hurry Up Tuesday the 23^rd!

Lottery Winner

I was listening to the radio on my way to work this morning. I have about an 18 minute commute from Deland to Daytona Beach. One of the topics on my favorite morning show was winning the lottery. Right now power ball is up to 200 million dollars!! Yowza thats a lot of money $$$. The show's hosts asked us all to think about what we would do if we won, right before breaking for a commercial. This segment sent me in a spiral of imaginative thoughts. One thing you should know, before I share my list, is that I don't even play the lotto. Tehe...I have never been one to gamble or take unnecessary chances. Besides I have really lousy "luck" anyways. Well here goes:

1. Buy myself a 2 story house with enough rooms for the following: my dream master bedroom & bath, office, studio, movie theater room, gym, guest room, and someday not so soon to be child's room=))

2. Buy 2 nearby houses for my parents and grandparents...ahhh because family is so important to me!

3. 2 new cars,,,one for muah & one for my hubby

4. Invest in property to flip, rent, or sell one day. Watch out Donald Trump;)

5. Go back to school for fashion design, learn to sew, and fuel my Etsy & Ebay businesses. Basically I would quit my 9-5 and indulge in my hobbies.

6. Travel, Travel, & more Travel-Tropical places so I can work on my tan

7. Buy a new wardrobe of course

8. Support handmade on Etsy and buy all the things I am currently heart-ing

9. Get a personal decorator to help me with my "vision" for my big new house

10. Sock money away and live off the interest

What would you do??

Learning to sew

I just wanted to share some exciting news... Yesterday I made a special trip to our local Barnes and Noble bookstore. I love the smell of bookstores. Not to mention our Barnes and Noble has a quaint little Starbucks inside of it. I asked a lady behind the help desk to assist me in finding a few books on learning how to sew. I learned how to crochet from my mother, but I have only ever been able to sew basic stitches. Mending torn clothes here and there, nothing fancy. I have always dreamed of sewing or embellishing my own clothes and hair accessories. I found 2 books packed full of stitches, appliques, sewn flowers, and even ripped up and redesigned T-shirts. I started reading one of the books last night. I just can't wait to get started!! My next purchase will be a pin-able mannequin (dress Form). On another note I hope to have my white Rabbit finished & listed on ebay tonight. You can find my ebay profile under seller ID bears_n_hares. That will clear my schedule for the weekend so I may finish designing my thread crochet monkey pattern & maybe hit up a few thrift stores.

Alice In Wonderland (2010) Review

Alice in Wonderland has always been one of my favorite tales. I grew up watching the Disney Cartoon version, ahh such a classic. Much to my delight Disney released a remake in Disney Digital 3D on Friday March 5th.

It was absolutely magical. The scenery and costumes were to die for. I especially loved the queen of heart's castle. Tim Burton is a visionary director with skills beyond his years. I thought it blew Avatar out of the water. The cast was phenomenal. Who doesn't love Johnny Depp? The girl who played Alice was perfect & the queen of hearts was scandalous. She also plays Bella Trix Lestrange in the popular Harry Potter series.

I was so inspired by the film, I have been busily working on a crochet thread bunny interpretation of the white rabbit. I will be making the bunny out of my Haydn Hare (R) pattern, which can be found in my Etsy Store www.hairsewvintage.etsy.com

New Pattern on Etsy...Meet Candy in her Easter Bunny Jammies

I am pleased to introduce my latest thread crochet pattern now available on Etsy.com. Meet Candy in Easter bunny jammies. I know many teddy bear collecters also love bunnies too. I thought this would be an adorable way to get the best of both worlds. This crochet pattern is worked in rounds and contains 4 very basic and simple stitches: increase, decrease, single crochet, and slip stitch. I offer Candy's pattern via email so that means...FREE shipping. Yay, who doesn't like free?? Here is a link so you can purchase your very own Candy pattern today, just in time for Easter...

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=41677772&ref=sr_list_6&&ga_search_query=thread+crochet+bear+pattern&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title

My first List

I have been a lazy, naughty, good for nothing blogger! So many exciting things have happened since my last blog. If I went into detail on each one, I would have a 700 page novel. So I thought I had better just put them in list format. Here goes..

1. Had a lovely Christmas with all of my family & got some great gifts
2. New Years Eve was a blast at Disney's Hollywood Studios w/ my hubba
3. My husband took me to my first ever pop concert on Jan 3rd 2010 to see my FAVE...Lady Gaga @ the UCF Arena in Orlando. What a blast=)) She was AMAZING!!
4. Saving for a new Car. Interested in something boxy such as Nissan cube, Scion XD or XB, or maybe a Kia Soul.
5. Engrossed in Deadwood (amazing series) the ending of the last season leaves you hanging and then the show was canceled. UGGG what a bummer.
6. Finishing Deadwood left an emptiness in me only to be filled by another series. I love bonding with a set of characters and following them for as long as I can, therefore, I am giving Dexter a chance. BTW the shows star Michael C Hall has made a statement declaring he has cancer. How sad=( Hope he pulls through.
7. Focused and dedicated to my daytime job (the 9-5er) trying to rake in commission and overtime for the "NEW CAR FUND".
8. Listing bears on Ebay and I have quite the following at the current moment. I have some GrEaT customers. Of course proceeds are going towards the "NEW CAR FUND".
9. My movie theater room/studio is almost done. WooHoo!! I need a few finishing touches here and there & one last piece of furniture and tada. Ps I am in love with IKEA, great finds at astounding prices.

Well that about covers it in a nutshell. Check out my current auctions on Ebay.com here is the link to my things
http://shop.ebay.com/bears_n_hares/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p4340