Weekly Wrap Up or wrapping everyone in our loving arms today

This was supposed to be a video post, but my voice was scary bad.

I just couldn't bring myself to post it.

(seriously, it has me thinking that if I could have just gone through life with one of those little cartoon bubbles over my head and people could read what I was saying instead of hearing me speak, I would have gotten alot farther in life -

like finished college, had a 401K, corner office and stock options kind of farther)

but I decided to go ahead and post the ending pic ala Jessica Doyle - she always posts with a pic and it feels like she is talking right to you ...

plus it looks like I just ate that salad and the stack of slice-n-bake chocolate chip cookies I polished off afterwards are out of screenshot

To wrap up this stressful, insane week I will say that my daughter's surgeries went perfectly and she is feeling better everyday,

my sister finally booked her flight to New Jersey after 2 flippin' years,

(she did book it for the busiest week of the year for me, but since I've been looking for potential delegation candidates for the holiday season, this could be a good thing ... for me)

my friend Laura (creativelytangled and the inspiration for TeamEPE) got her new boobs,

my camera possibly needs a new, very expensive, shutter - ugh,

my hubby got his hair cut so short I almost cried when I saw it

Check out my trends post at the Artisans Collective team blog for some 2011 trends

Team EcoEtsy's 2nd Green Giveaway is up and HERE - it features an eco spa package valued at almost $75.00- you gotta be in it to win it folks!


And today, November 12th is To Write Love on Her Arms Day which my friend Rachel of the amazing GetReadySetGo has been spreading the word about for weeks.

TWLOHA is a non-profit organization dedicated to offering hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide.


So write a little LOVE on your arms today and have an amazing weekend everyone!

Upcycled Tutorial - Wine Cork Dog Leash (yes, I am totally serious) Recycled Holiday Gift Countdown - Week ll

If there is a special pooch in your life and you have collected a few wine corks for yourself

(and if you haven't maybe you should get working on that one)

you can easily make an adorable leash that special pooch will be proud to walk the neighborhood with!

Now, I should add that this is probably not a good leash for your rottie or any pup that needs more than a small amount of control

(although this is surprisingly strong and I cannot pull it apart - your rottie is probably stronger than I am though)

Someone incredibly wonderful sent me these corks not realizing they were not made from actual cork, but I knew I would eventually find a great use for them (these are synthetic corks, but your wood corks will work equally well).

You will need:

some corks
slip rings
eyehook and washers
spring hook
key fob for the hand grip
(these were puchased on Etsy from loveyduds)
super glue



Easy peasy instructions - Make a starter hole in the center of the cork with your eyehook, remove hook, add a couple drops of super glue to the hole, screw in eyehook and a small washer, add slipring, repeat, add a fabric key fob handle to one end and a latch hook to the other which will attach to your pup's collar.

Just be prepared to deal with a big-headed pooch from all the attention she/he will receive - Olive has become impossible to live with and is even demanding breakfast in bed ...

There are also lots of amazing doggie goodies on Etsy for your holiday shopping like these amazing finds here:


1. leashes from hollywoofstyles
2. leather dog collar from thecoolpuppy
3. mosaic dog leash holder by Raquel Stanack
4. Molly collar and leash from murphyandgert
5. turquoise dog collar by ChloesCollars
6. love to fart dog tag by hugapug studios
7. striped dog sweater by beantownhandmade

Maybe You Can HAVE It All, But You Can't DO It All - Work Smarter, Not Harder Part II - why the right tools matter

I bet you thought I had forgotten all about my Work Smarter, Not Harder series, didn't you?

(tell the truth, we're all friends here and I don't blame you because I have been known to leave these series posts hanging out forever for a long time)

When I sat down to write Part II which I had so smartly labeled "Tools" and "Delegation" I realized I had absolutely no idea where I was going with these topics and am certainly no kind of expert on either.

(not that this has ever stopped me before)

So, I will be just dive into tools right now and save delegation for next week when we will chat about all things delegatable.

(and if you have anyone in your life besides you, you totally have someone to delegate to, and if they actually live with you, well, then they totally have to do what you tell them to do and there are lots of ways to make this happen that don't involve the use of any weaponry on your part - really)

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

OK, the first thing I want to say about tools because I do not know your specific little enterprise is that being a maker, you should make yourself aware of what tools are out there for you.

For a long time (until last month)

I used a hand drill for all kinds of things when a drill press would have worked so much better.

Now, hubby has a huge drill press in his shop and I use that one for my lockets, but everything else, and I make alot of little everything else's, I drilled in my own studio with a hand drill.

When I finally broke down and bought a smaller drill press for my studio

(about the cost of a dinner out- why I waited so long I have no idea - other than I thought it would be too messy in the studio and I have no space - but once I got serious and created some space and figured out I could just set the damn thing in a cardboard box lid to make sawdust cleanup easier I bought one)

I saved time.

When I spent half a day making jigs and templates for everything I drill consistently in the same place I saved alot of time.

I think partly because hubby is such a big proponent of having the proper

(and most expensive - ugh, yes, our retirement plan is entirely pieced together with Snap On hand tools and large machinery that need to be continually "updated")

tools and because I am such a pro-recycler and re-purposer, I have always leaned toward the "make do" aspect of tool purchasing.

The truth is though that if you are a professional person running a professional business you need the right tools - the best you can afford - don't raid the kids' college funds now, but wire wrapping your beads with the wrong needle nose pliers is not the way to go.

The other tools I recently purchased are a headset for my studio phone - no more running to the phone, I have the headset around my neck and the phone itself clipped to my pocket, and an answering machine that announces the name of the caller out loud (so I know who to ignore answer). Both are great time savers.

(I may be the only person left with a landline, but there could be some way you can use tools to avoid distractions, too)

If you have an Etsy shop there are tons of time-saving downloads out there and I will post about them next time.

(I really promise to do this - pinky swear and all that jazz)

In the meantime maybe start thinking about your own studio tools and check out what time saving new (or new to you) stuff might be out there.

**power drill tea towels by girlscantell and I do all my own stunts embroidery machine design by funkeedesigns**

GIVEAWAY - GoodKarma - Gorgeous Hand Dyed Hemp Oven Mitt! CLOSED

AND THE WINNER IS Penelope Stitch Shop!

True Random Number Generator (random.org)

Min: 1
Max: 231
Result:
211

Good Karma is the amazing eco-friendly shop of compulsive crafter Bren from Wisconsin!

Bren has been sewing for about 9 years (5 professionally). She loves recycling and vintage fabrics. She hand dyes with low-impact dyes and amazing colors.

Bren also loves dill pickles, Bob Marley, and manatees.

(I for one can totally see the dill pickle influence in her work!)

We are so lucky to have one of her amazing pieces for this week's giveaway!


WHAT YOU GET:

One lucky winner will receive this gorgeous handmade hemp and organic cotton oven mitt!




HOW TO WIN:

Visit Good Karma and check out her amazing work - then come back here and leave a comment letting Bren know which piece is your favorite!

For additional entries:

(5) Twitter this post
(5) Blog about this contest; linking to this post
(5) Follow my blog

Let me know if you have done these things so I can give you additional entries. This contest is open to everyone.

DRAWING:
Enter by midnight, Sunday, November 14th! CLOSED Good Luck!