twice as nice ....

when the Giants win the Superbowl on your birthday ... and they thank their NJ fans .... got a little Superbowl fuzzy and forgot to finish today's post- back tomorrow ..... xo

fighting Etsy exhaustion part II - vintage matchmakers

I am fairly certain that most vintage sellers on Etsy either 1. started their shop as an excuse to flea market or

2. their love of flea marketing had become an obsession and it was Etsy or the hoarders tv show

(and since you need one of those hairy facial moles to get on the tv show and most people are not willing to get one of those things surgically implanted to become dysfunctionally famous - Etsy it was)

This is not about how to sell more vintage on Etsy, but some vintage peeps did offer up a couple selling suggestions that could help avoid the exhaustion trap:

1. be selective about what you sell - just because it's vintage doesn't mean anyone wants to buy it

2. sell from your heart - offering up things that you love to people who will love them, too, is what you are really doing here - you are not a seller of vintage - you are a matchmaker - the Fiddler on the Roof kind not that scary chick on the tv show! (wth)

Now this 'be selective' thing may go against the 'one man's trash is another man's treasure' typical flea thinking, but your shop is not a flea market, you are a vintage boutique - on Etsy (and the internet in general) it is always a good idea to specialize and find your niche.

If you are selective and sell from your heart it will be easier for you to :

1. become an authority on what you sell
2. develop a following and
3. keep the passion alive for what you are doing

These translate into

1. less time spent doing research and less time shopping (wait is that really a plus?) because you will know what you are looking for and what things are worth and what you can resell and make money on
2. less time spent listing (you can offer items to specific customers through a service like Mailchimp at a discounted price prior to listing - one vintage seller told me that she sells 25% of her finds by offering them up at a discount to her mailing list prior to listing on Etsy)
3. the world doesn't need more people who sell stuff, the world though does need more people who love what they are doing

Some other great tips from vintage sellers to work smarter and not harder included:

1. Detailed descriptions and lots of pics = less convos from customers with questions and less problems later

(think measurements and not sizes and if you ship outside of the U.S. remember to include centimeter measurements, too)

2. Pack up your items after photographing them - don't seal the package in case you need to check something for someone, but having it all ready to ship and being certain of your shipping charges saves time and money - one seller puts a photo from the listing on the outside of her boxes

(I once bought something from a vintage seller who lamented to me how much she would miss it because she was using it as a bookend on her radiator - now I know my purchase had a life before me, but it gave me a weird feeling to think of my precious whosee whatsee being used between the time the pics were taken and the time of my purchase, so as a customer boxed and ready to ship sounds good to me)

3. Lower prices after 30 days - to keep your shop fresh and your cash flow in the red - just make sure to keep a list of what you paid for each item handy and know your selling fees so you will always know your bottom line pricing

4. Decide how much time you will devote to your vintage boutique and schedule your tasks - most successful sellers have a timetable they stick with - you get to decide what works best for you, this is your business after all - evaluate how this is all fitting in with the rest of your life regularly!

Vintage matchmakers have to research, shop, photograph, measure, describe, pack, ship plus do all the marketing and relationship building.

This is all alot of work and you need to love what you are doing or you will not be doing it for long.

Now that love can wane a bit here and there as all business love is known to do - sometimes just a little step back from what we are doing can allow us to see the big picture that we are often too close to our work to see - sometimes you have to just keep backing up until everything is in focus.

(a life lesson from my Canon instruction book - next week we'll take a look at my Kenmore dishwasher manual!)

Monday - Large Batch Makers Tips to Avoid Large Batch Exhaustion

1. shop - bellalulu
2. shop - tippleandsnack
3. shop - everyeskimo
4. shop - 5gardenias
5. shop - bold pigeon

does etsy "success" = exhaustion? the nasty little by-product of selling what you make online ...

Maybe it's the cold weather
(although it hasn't been all that cold here),

the shortened days
(although they're getting longer)

or my own natural inclination to work until collapse

(in a 24/7 selling environment that doesn't really allow for collapse this is not a good model - unless of course you are prepared to really collapse, like into a great big old mahogany box with a velvet liner)

but an awful lot of Etsy sellers are using a 10 letter "e" word to describe their state of mind lately.

And it ain't "exhilerated" (which is 11 letters actually).

I have said it before and I will say it again - this is all a great deal of work

(and before you think I am a big whiner - although hello ... this is not news folks, I did devote 427 42 Wednesdays of my life to the art of whining or maybe that was wining - I need the corks remember, but whining is reactive and I am determined to be proactive here - how do we fix this?!)

No matter how we sell our makings online we have to - market ourselves, create relationships, take amazing pictures, basically make ourselves stand out among the thousands/millions/gazillions

(where the hell are all these people coming from anyway)

of other makers creating amazing makings and doing the same things we are.

(if you have been doing this for awhile just hearing me say it out loud can make you tired and cranky and reaching for your Snugli and I should add that if you do read my posts out loud I am from New Jersey and should be read with a Carmella Soprano 'foget-about-it' inflection)

There are 5 ways to make money on Etsy:

(maybe more I appear to be out of fingers)

1. Vintage - If you sell vintage items you do not have to do the making part, but you do have to do the finding part and the research of pricing part and the take amazing pictures part and you need to figure out the correct shipping charge and get yourself the proper packaging for your oddly shaped whosee whatsee and oh yes, since your items are one of a kind there is no renew button for you my dear ... sorry.

2. Large Batches - If you do your makings in large batches you will likely work really hard for a certain period of time making your fabulousness and then work less during the shipping phase of your process, but you will likely have to have a very good handle on inventory and supplies and what will sell

(I recommend a magic 8-ball for this or some market research I have found them to be equally inaccurate)

or you will be sitting on alot of excess inventory and miss out on sales when you run out of stock.

3. One at a time - if you do your makings in small batches or one at a time, well, you will just be making your makings all the time and the busier you get the more you will need to get a handle on time management and pricing or ... well, I think your head could explode actually ... this is my makings model and I have been known to discover little pieces of brain matter all over my studio, luckily, being the creative professional I am, my brain matter is always in pantone's latest colors, so at least it's pretty brain matter - my apologies if you are reading this while eating lunch, but yes, art is messy, folks ...

4. Make something once and sell it again and again - paint a picture - sell prints, take a photo - sell copies, design a dress - hire someone else to sew it. This is kind of my dream maker business model (sigh)- the make something once and sell it over and over again model - but will not work for everyone. I do think there are ways to incorporate some of this into any of the models though.

Of course, there is also supply selling on Etsy (5) which involves mostly buying things in large batches and selling them in smaller batches for a profit. The pitfall being that you could end up doing an awful lot of work for not an awful lot of money. You really need to know your profit margins and what your competition (you will undoubtedly have alot) is doing.

Anyhoo, I have been talking to some successful shops who sell in these various models for some great tips and tricks to avoid the dreaded "e" word. I will be posting them over the next two weeks - so check back starting on Friday for Vintage and (hopefully) Large Batch Makers.

* carry me by redbishop
* squirrel salt and pepper shakers by kella
* tshirt by xenotees
* map necklace by sherry truitt
* wish illustration by pale preoccupation

choosy with choices - cut, concretize, categorize and condition

I have been listening to a TED talk while eating lunch lately and really loved this one and thought I'd share it - my favorite line to take away may be "choices should mean something to the chooser and not the choice maker" - the studies shown also make it a good listen for makers ...

2012 Affirmation # 5 - if you can't be a good example ... at least be a warning.

"learn to dance or the angels won't know what to do with you" ... saint augustine

I have been around the block a time or two.

(not in a bad way if you know what I mean and not in any way that involves running shoes and a water bottle - in fact if you see me running these days, it is pretty much guaranteed there is a large dog behind me or a small dog in front of me, but one way or the other it is pretty certain that a dog is involved somehow)

I have worked jobs with very long, stressful hours with alot of responsibility and headaches. I have had businesses that went places and some that went no place and all the work and craziness that was involved with all of that. But I was always able to separate my job title or business adventure from myself.

I was never really in it all the way.

And now I am.

In it all the way.

In a what you see is what you get, this gets so personal we know each other's underwear colors

(and styles - why do so many of us wear boyshorts?)

kind of way that is so terribly amazing and terribly rewarding and terribly exhausting.

So, I affirm we all give ourselves a break in 2012, take a little bit better care of ourselves (some of us alot better care of ourselves), dance a little more, work a little less and if we can't be a good example of what to do at least we can be a good example of what not to do

(this has always worked very well for me actually)

and maybe coax a few other makers to join us ....

* dance print by wallfry

** what I have learned this week about schizophrenia - alot - way too much to write about, but a very important thing is that schizophrenia often involves anosognosia which is a long scary word (doesn't it just look like a word you don't want to get to know, like the word chocolate, that one has always been trouble for me, too) for a person's inability to recognize or understand the nature of his illness, like with alzheimer's disease - it's not about denial - so interventions don't work, normal reasoning doesn't work and this little twist called "lack of insight" is like having the Himalayas between David and wellness.

the girl next door or you make a better door than you do a window or ... any song by Jim Morrison

I read that people with white doors (front doors) are most likely to have a tidy house, abhor mesess and like a clean and clinical, modern decor whereas people with green doors tend toward the exact opposite aesthetic and even have a tendency to be hoarders.

(yes, I have a green front door but I only hoard the really important stuff like magazines from the year everyone in my family was born - yes, I mean everyone, unused 35mm film - you never know - used Mallomar boxes - I find they reseal very nicely, make handy little containers and seeing them makes me happy during the summer months when the cookies are gone from the grocery store shelves - it's the little things, folks)

I want you to be concerned about your next door neighbor. Do you know your next door neighbor? ... Mother Teresa

Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door ... Ralph Waldo Emerson

When one door is closed, don't you know, another is open ... Bob Marley

Ten men waiting for me at the door?
Send one of them home, I'm tired ... Mae West

* for some reason the homegrown chaos has me obsessing over doors this week - the top picture is a door from an old hotel in Cape May that I snatched up to divide off my dining room (which is more of a dining nook actually) - the picture above is an old door, painted with an old bicycle shop logo that I have attached to an old white dresser (you might notice a few mistakes with the bicycle drawing - ack!)

xo =^..^=

putting the chiweagle controversy to bed once and for all ...

Sooo ... anyhoo ... Olive has been anxious

(ie pacing the studio and pawing at the mouse)

for me to make this announcement - her DNA results are in!

You may remember that back in the day a certain unnamed, nontrusting family member accused Olive of fabricating her heritage when this photo
<----- appeared in a google image search. This is not Olive. This is Dottie.

Dottie is a Chiweagle (chihuahah/beagle) and since Olive has always claimed to be a Boggle (boston terrier/beagle) but looks more like Dottie than Olive's Boggle buddy Ruby - we were all left wondering ...

(plus she is always googling Paris Hilton when I forget to power down my laptop)

Not that we have any problem with chihuahahs or particular fondness for boston terriers - since our pre-Olive days were filled with labrador retrievers - but we just don't like to be played for fools here. I mean we, of course, would love her no matter what, but the number of bacon slices, playdates and woofpurr toys in her future has been hanging in the balance while we have been waiting on the results ...

Anyhoo, the official lab-certified results are in and Olive is (drumroll please) 45% Beagle, 45% Boston Terrier ... and 10% Australian Shephard.

So, Olive has been totally vindicated

(obviously, we have forgiven her for not mentioning her rascally Australian Shephard great grandpa since we all have one of those in our family trees and he most likely gave her that wild eyed look we love and Aussie accent)

and for everyone who has supported Olive during this controversial time- she wants me to tell you that your hot naked man fruit basket is in the mail!

boggle buddies 4ever (ruby and olive)

2012 Affirmations # 4 - there are no mistakes

I once had an art teacher say, "allow chaos, knowing that order will eventually emerge".

Trust our instincts.

Release perfectionism and criticism; surrender to the process.

Follow the energy and keep adding to the energy.

Fearlessness is probably at the foundation of everything amazing that has ever been born - it doesn't mean recklessness and is maybe the opposite of recklessness. We learn to take responsibility for our choices. We learn our craft and practice it. We choose to be courageous and to open our hearts to life itself.

"the painting rises from the brush strokes as the poem rises from the words - the meaning comes later" ... joan miro

Affirming that there are no mistakes allows us to take risks that perfectionism would never allow. It allows something larger to express through us. We flow with the fierce urge to create, to make, to work with what is and allow it to express what could be.

The idea of "working with what is" and "allowing" are major themes in my life right now both professionally and personally - although I don't keep the two all that separate these days and trying to would probably create a Sybil-like alter ego

(maybe one named Dog who would figure this all out for me or maybe hubs would just have one more pooch to walk and Olive a little competition to kill her plushies quickly by ripping out their squeakers)

*jim morrison quote print above from sacred and profane

David came to our house from rehab this weekend. I have been watching hubs (a man predisposed by nature to say the wrong thing for the right reasons) struggle to say the right thing. Sometimes there are no right things. As I write this he has taken David to work with him for the day ... just holding in our hearts the words "the painting arises from the brushstrokes" and allowing ...

xo =^..^=

2012 Affirmations # 3 - Simplicity

Simple and easy are not the same thing.

Easy is the instant solution - do this and you get that - the magic bullet - that isn't always so magical.

Simple is more organic. More complex. Simple is something we seek with our hearts as much as our heads.

This year I am affirming simplicity by making the choices to clear clutter (inner and outer), making the time to meditate (got off track over the holidays and felt the loss of grounding immediately) and making the things that are most meaningful to me a priority.

Simplicity is not about reducing ourselves to a smaller size - it is about clearing the clutter and chaos to create the space to grow into our true selves.

* beauty in simplicity print by bubby and bean

2012 Affirmations - # 2 relaxation

"every now and then go away and have a little relaxation - to remain constantly at work will diminish your judgement - go some distance away because work will be in perspective" ... leonardo davinci

(some words of wisdom from the master)

A good affirmation for this might be - I take time away from my business and responsibilities. I take time to relax.

I take time for me.

* relax hand screened tee by jonnycobra

2012 Affirmations - faith builders for our reluctant minds - # 1 finding solutions by staying open

I just re-started A Course in Miracles - some of you may be familiar with it. I took this course a few years ago, but like so much else in my life, it went unfinished, so I decided to start again from the beginning.

We also have some family drama which I have not really talked about on here. Some of you may have seen the video or heard the story about a homeless man being beaten up and the kids filming it and proudly putting his beating on youtube. It was all over the internet and television just before Christmas.

We even woke up one morning to see Anderson Cooper talking about it.

The man in the video is my husband's brother. He has been mentally ill, unmedicated, alcoholic, in and out of jail and homeless for decades. We had not seen him in many years.

My husband and I brought him to a rehab center in Pennsylvania on Christmas Eve for a 21 day program - he is being released on Saturday and at this point we have no idea what we will be doing when we pick him up. It is a stressful, crazy time.

Probably part of the reason that little blue book showed up in my life again.

So, I am starting my 2012 affirmations by affirming that I create wonderful solutions by being open to new ideas.

I focus on solutions instead of problems - I choose to see every problem as an opportunity.

Affirmations are a wonderful way to speak abundance into our lives. They are the faith builders (and I am not talking religion here) that encourage our hearts and coax our reluctant minds of the truths that are larger than the life we have experienced in the past.

So rather than focus on the "problem" which keeps us tangled in the energy of "problem"

(which might work if the problem is small and easy to fix, but this focus just seems to make big problems even bigger)

we focus our attention on opening our hearts and minds to the possibility that something or someone can bring about solutions that are greater than anything we can imagine when we are mired in the problem. We are not here to force solutions - but to trust enough to let them unfold naturally.

Trust ... letting things unfold unforced - these are not things that come naturally to me - but I am trying them on for now - the side effects are a little scary at the moment.

(and I don't usually take any medication with side effects - unless they include rapid weight-loss)

* 99 problem print by sweet perversion

... well ... cowboys are pretty cool though ...

Vines grow towards light by elongating their stems and attaching themselves to whatever support is available.

I once got a stubborn patch of ivy in our backyard to grow exactly where I wanted it to grow by trimming branches of an overhanging tree to allow sunlight into just the right area and adding an old fence post.

For a short period of time I blew my own mind with my sense of power over this wayward patch

(kind of like the first time you trick your kids into doing something you want them to do by convincing them you do not want them to do it)

- but soon began to look closer at the un-naturalness (and yes, this is totally a word - if you need to use it in your next game of bananagrams, go ahead - just be sure to offer up this post and not an actual dictionary as proof of its wordiness) of what I had created and think ... hmmm ... maybe there is something to be said for the beauty of things that grow organically.

I am thinking the same way about our businesses lately.

Last year I set out to get a certain specific percentage of my business income from wholesale selling and increase sales by X dollars.

Well ... I did increase sales by X dollars (although maybe I should say x dollars - ha!) and this increase did come through wholesale selling -

although not in the traditional wholesale structure of "store places large order which makes deep discounts to store possible", but more of a "store places one order at a time which I make and ship to buyer one at a time and store still gets deep discount kind of wholesale selling" ... sigh

Of course, the bottom line is that I got what I set out to get but just not in the way I set out to get it. So the movement, which I tried to force into a particular direction, grew in a different direction which although unintended was maybe a more natural direction ... for me ... for now.

More proof that our inner state of being and our outer success is irrevocably connected - the reason we set goals at all is because of who we become as we’re reaching them ... whether we do or not. If we do, it is just the beginning of another journey; if we don't, it is just the start of another journey ... there is no end zone in crafty, maker land - it is all process so we had better be loving it.

(which I am ... most ... of the time)

My metaphyscal friend, who is all about setting intentions containing the word "effortless" as in "good things flow to me effortlessly", said that maybe I have some inner work to do to truly believe that things should be easier - that I likely have deep-seated beliefs in the fact that money comes through hard work ...

Of course I really do believe that money comes from hard work and from setting the right intentions and from walking through those open doors and from elbowing our way into those doors that are only slightly ajar and from bulldozing our way through the closed doors ... but only sometimes ... because sometimes the bulldozing gets us in, but like my wayward ivy, doesn't really get us where we need to be.

* mama don't let your babies ... print by KZukowski

the gift of no-gifts or my eyes have been opened to the need for a little romantic something with a bow on it this time of year

(whisper typing while hubby sleeps)

If I want a romantic gift from hubs I have to

1. find it
2. buy it
3. give him the receipt
4. be reimbursed by him from our joint checking account

(this reimbursement often takes the form of a check signed by me and written to our credit card company)

this usually doesn't bother me, but lately I am wondering if I should be requiring a little more from him ...

I am not talking diamond earrings here, but something maybe a little bit efforty.

To be fair, he did make us pancakes on Christmas morning

of course his family called within exactly the 3.7 minutes it took for him to do this and I heard him saying that he was "making breakfast" .. which of course he was .. but he said it very matter-of-factly as if to imply that he does this making breakfast thing frequently ... which he does if you consider frequently something done along the same time frame as replacing your muffler - has anyone ever replaced one of those things anyway - other than a run over your neighbor's mailbox type of situation - not that this has ever happened to me, well at least not more than once ...

and this year we had agreed to the no-gift Christmas due to our bathroom/kitchen renovation costs but I still kind of expected a little something and thought this no-gift agreement was going to be a wee bit flexible and there would still be something with my name on it under the tree.

(there wasn't, well except for all the packages to hubs where my name followed the word FROM)

I know I do not have the right to be pissed about this since I signed the no-gift agreement, although by signed I mean nodded when hubs suggested this while I was semi-conscious after a day spent inhaling flux and E6000.

It kind of seemed like a good idea at the time.

I thought because I am not a romantic, mushy kind of girl that this would be ok with me. It wasn't. When I brought up to hubby that I was bothered he said to just go out and buy myself something like I usually do, but now this entire find it, buy it, reimburse it thing is just not going to cut it anymore.

So, I have discovered the real gift of the no-gift agreement is to find out that I really do need gifts and I will be cancelling the no-gift agreement before my birthday which is in 4 weeks and 4 days (not that I am counting or anything) or paramedics may need to be called to identify hub's body.

(he is now awake - despite my whisper typing - reading this over my shoulder and says "just don't let them do anything weird with my body" which of course, I won't ... unless it's funny)

UPDATE - since I wrote this post on Sunday night, hubs has fixed my bicycle tire, bought me a box of mallomars, my favorite blueberry poptarts (very hard to find the unfrosted kind I like) and a Sephora gift card so it looks like the paramedics will not be needed - but check back in 4 weeks and 2 days just to be sure ...

* rock me adadeus print by lisa barbero

your mama ....

you don't really think I'd talk about your mama do you .....

10 Thoughts to Kick Off 2012 ... slowly, I am kicking things off slowly this year (picture that field goal kicker in a slo-mo replay because that's about the energy level I am working with at the moment)

1. Banish results oriented thinking to the back of the closet

When we start seeing very clearly that our thoughts can create our reality we might find ourselves getting a little too attached to the results -

(which may be the surest way to muck things up)

When I was back in the craziness this holiday season there was this little voice that kept whispering screaming at me - "are we really doing this ... again? didn't we set up the processes and practices and the right thinking to create a better way this time? how the hell did this happen?"

And although logically I knew

(or the teeny, tiny little part of my brain that still thinks logically knew - I may have destroyed most of my logical thinking with the copious amounts of diet pepsi and york peppermint patties I was consuming)

that I always make about 50% of my annual income in a very short period of time and there is just no way for this to happen in my little one-woman business without things getting insane, I really felt I had failed when things got totally crazy and exhausting ... again.

Of course, there was no failure, there was simply a lesson for me in losing my attachment to the results ...

creating our own reality does not have to be followed by - "and so this is all our fault".

Sometimes sh*t just happens.

Like the fact that although I was somewhat prepared for last minute wholesale orders which mostly didn't happen, I was totally unprepared for a site I sell on called Daily Grommet to explode from 1-2 sales a day to up to 40.

(and before you assume I am planning a trip to Hawaii to spend my millions I should admit this is a wholesale, drop-ship situation with my commissioned artwork mini-lockets - the most work and least profitable of all my makings and that I had to enter every customer's address into paypal to print my shipping labels - this fact alone was adding an hour to my workday, not to mention the 3-4 hours a night fabricating the little suckers)

It was nice to get a check from them yesterday though :)

(and as unexpected as this rash on my neck right now which I have self-diagnosed as a third chakra communication problem or possibly a laundry detergent irritation, of course I am practically a doctor ... well, I didn't actually go to medical school, but I do wash my hands ... alot)

* a better man calendar by splendid and sound

Back Wednesday with 2012 Thought #2 ... notice I am not using the word resolution since I have resolved to remain unresolved for now

Happy Almost 2012!

In the midst of much family drama here, so taking a blog break until next week to get my act together

(I guess my countdown to 2012 will be a countback which makes more sense for me anyway these days)

... hope everyone had a nice holiday! xo all

* 2012 calendar by alex wijnen

.. you get on my wall RIGHT THIS MINUTE ....

First, I'm alive - my limbs still move ... sort of ... my brain still works ... occasionally - I am almost caught up with my life which moves way too fast for a life that never actually ... goes anywhere.

My house is a disaster - my diet has consisted of the kind of cellophane wrapped mistakes only available in the messiest convenience stores in the Jersey suburbs - my back has spent the last couple weeks bent over one work table or another with an icepack jammed in my bra

(my apologies for the visual - I hope the kids have left the room)

I am counting down the days, minutes and seconds until that last order is on its way and crossing every part of my anatomy that every package makes it to its proper destination in its proper time frame

(and yes, it makes it a little harder to work with my eyes crossed, but that's what it's all about for me people - doing what it takes, whatever it takes to get the job done even if I risk permanent damage to my optic nerve, that's just how I roll)

I will be back this weekend with some giveaway winner announcements and a sneakpeak ahead to my 2nd Annual Countdown to 2012 series you will not want to miss.

(although I guess technically this cannot be a 2nd annual countdown to 2012 since last year was a countdown to 2011, but you know I like the idea of consistency with my blog postings .... not)

In the meantime, drink your milk boys and girls - it's time to finish this shipping season up with a little ass-kicking!

Order any item this weekend in Uncorked and Polarity and get an upgrade to U.S. priority shipping at no extra cost - guaranteed to arrive by Christmas!

(unless your mailman, my mailman or some mailman in between my mailman and your mailman mucks this up somehow)

* awesome print by modern styleographer

tastes like chicken ....

gotta make stuff - back in a few days - have a nice week everyone

don't forget to enter zJayne's giveaway HERE - which has been extended thru 12/16!!

nickeled and dimed or why an abundance mindset can't support scarcity actions

Hubs and I are both self-employed, so health insurance is a big expense for us

(more than our mortgage actually).

We have had the same insurance for many years and for a long time the rates stayed the same unless one of us had one of those big birthdays, but the last couple years the rates have increased at random times.

Sooo, a couple months ago we received an increase notice ... again ... and I called them to see if they had any comparable but less expensive plans and long story short (actually longer story long) I switched us to a cheaper policy with a $1000 deductible - my thinking was that we would be saving $1200 and had rarely had any medical expenses (other than a few biggies last year that would not be repeated) and even if we did - we would still be saving money

and in theory this was all true.

But in actuality, what happened was that the very month I switched the insurance hubby spent the night in the hospital which cost $9500 - yes, you read that right - one night in the hospital with tests = $9500.

(no jacuzzi, turn down service or chocolate on his pillow either)

My decision to switch policies which looked like a no brainer cost us $1000 in one month rather than $1200 over 12 months which would have been easier to budget, create money to pay for, create time to shop around for something better .... and well, just stomach.

This kind of thing has happened to me before. Switch cell phone plans to save money and end up paying more somehow, buy a slightly cheaper whoseewhatsee to save a couple dollars and it never works as well, take plastic bottles to the cash recycling center to make 20 bucks instead of putting them out at the curb and get into a car accident (not my fault) with an uninsured driver that costs me out of pocket my $500 deductible.

I could go on and on.

Whenever I set out to do something solely as a way to save money it almost always backfires on me.

Now, I am not sure it works this way for everyone. I think different people are here to learn different things (some people need to learn to save money or to spend less).

The lesson for me which life has been hitting me over the head with for years is to trust that the money will be there to pay for the things I need to pay for and to value myself in the process.

I didn't come from a family that said, "you can do it, if you believe you can", "buy quality", yada, yada.

My mother was more pragmatic - she always told me that I wanted too much, that I was headed for disappointment, that I needed to love what I already had (not something to be discounted by the way), to buy the lower priced items so you could get more.

It was the kind of scarcity mindset that she took away from her own life story and although this wasn't my story

these are the lessons encoded in my maternal DNA and there is always that little voice

(who do you think you are?)

when I really go for it telling me to be careful - "are you really going to buy that - shouldn't you check around first for a better price? do you really need all these cell phone minutes? those maple cabinets? why are you paying someone to do that when you can do that yourself?"

Maybe the reason the little steps to save pennies don't work is that we are applying scarcity thinking when we have already adapted an abundance mindset. We can not truly believe that life is supportive of us and then be willing to fight each other to our deaths over a $2.00 waffle maker.

(although I have been known to throw it down over a $2.00 waffle - this family really needs to learn to let go of my Eggo).

GIVEAWAY - zJayne 6 First Aid Recycled Wristlet Pouches! CLOSED

And the winner is - chosen by random.org

True Random Number Generator

Min: 1
Max:142
Result:
81

= Rain!

Congrats Rain and thanks to everyone who took the time to enter!

zJayne is the home of the incredible Cleveland artist Jane Pierce - maker of some of the most amazing eco friendly recycled goodies on the planet!

zJayne features earth friendly handmade organic lavender sachets for the dryer, closets and more, pouches, recycled market bags, art made from repurposed t-shirt materials and reclaimed jewels.

You have seen her work everywhere including Rachel Ray and Better Homes and Gardens!

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

WHAT YOU GET:

One lucky winner will receive this zJayne 6-pack of Red Cross wristlets - perfect for holiday parties, especially little aspirin filled New Year's Eve goodie bags, glovebox first aid kits and more!

HOW TO WIN:

It's easy, peasy - just pop over to zJayne and let Jane know in a comment below which item is your favorite!

For additional entries:

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

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 on Sunday December 11th! Good Luck! EXTENDED TO 12/16! WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED 12/18!

Oh Yes, It's FREE - there's no parking at the mall, so keep your butt parked in your barcalounger this weekend

Oh Yes, She Did ...

 1st in my Uncorked shop get a FREE Cork Snowflake Necklace with ANY purchase

AND in my Polarity Shop get a FREE Snowflake Lid Set with ANY purchase

AND get FREE Shipping with a $50+ purchase

(includes purchases combined between my 2 shops 

and shipped together)

who said the only thing FREE is bad advice?

actually I still charge for that ....

* specials thru midnight Monday, 11/28

Happy Thanksgiving - wishing everyone a grateful heart and a full belly today!

* cooking is love made visible - print by say it sweet

Recycled Tutorial - Wire Hanger Countdown to Christmas Advent Calendar

It's almost time to begin the countdown that ends with Merry Christmas!

And you can make an amazing little upcycled advent calendar in about 5 minutes with a wire hanger and a raid of your craft drawer!

Start your countdown with your letters, beads, balls, etc on the left side of your tree and move one over every day.

I think this little guy will be perfect on everyone's desk or bedtable!

you will need:

a wire hanger, some kind of base for your tree (wood, foam), beads, letters, etc - wire clippers and a drill

This one is of course, easy peasy. Form a tree with your hanger, cut off the hook, mark your holes for the base, drill the holes, add your beads, balls, etc, push in your wires and glue those babies in. This could be a great project for your family to make on Thanksgiving - if you add the correct number of beads (I didn't) you could start it the next day!

GIVEAWAY - The Candy Thief - Gorgeous Handmade Headband - CLOSED

WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED THIS WEEK!

I bought one of Casey Dwyer's gorgeous headbands last year and I love it and I know you will, too!

Casey's amazing shop The Candy Thief had its beginnings in the corner of a tiny attic apartment in the spring of 2006. Since then her one woman operation has moved its headquarters to a full scale fiber arts studio!

The Candy Thief is dedicated to bringing a high level of creativity and craftswomanship to the marketplace. Each piece is designed with function and flare in mind

(and gorgeousness, did I say gorgeousness?)

We are so lucky to have one of The Candy Thief's wonderful makings for this week's giveaway!

WHAT YOU GET:

One lucky winner will receive The Candy Thief's beautiful Bathilde Band!

HOW TO WIN:

It's easy, peasy - just leave your contact information below!

For additional entries:

(5) Twitter this post
(5) Blog about this contest; linking to this post
(5) Follow my blog
(5) Facebook this post
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 on Sunday November 27th! Good Luck!

New Rings in My Polarity Shop - All Available in Both Sizes!

Finally was able to get some pictures taken of my new rings in my Polarity shop.

live it or leave it

I was in an office yesterday with a framed (and dusty) mission statement on the wall.

It was HUGE.

It rambled on about how important every customer is to them and how they will work hard to exceed our expectations, yadda, yadda, yadda.

It was obvious though that the mission statement had lost its mission.

I was left waiting. The place was dirty. The employees were talking loudly to each other and not wanting to make eye contact with me. The curtain was wrapped around a plant in a way that had the ficus screaming at me

(yes, I hear plants)

"HELP, I am being choked and this curtain has been here for ... months!"

In short, this was an office badly in need of some authenticity (and leadership and common sense and lots of other things, but it is the lack of authenticity that I took with me).

We have to be living it.

The difference between standing for something and saying we stand for something is the difference between authenticity and the usual business crap we have been listening to for the last 30 years and nobody even hears anymore.

Our authenticity is what cuts through the noise and gets us noticed.

Last week I said "different is better than better" and I think it is. But I also think authentic beats different. Because without authentic

(the place where our brand's DNA meets our customers' needs, wants and desires or maybe we will just say desires because that sounds more ... well, just 'more' - giving people what they desire - I like that, that's what we should be doing)

different is ... well, it's just not enough.

Having an authentic brand isn't about whether our thingamajig is cheaper or better than someone else's thingamajig

(unless our brand is all about being the cheapest or being the best - which for our sanity I hope it isn't)

it's about the kind of relationship that emerges when we are who we say we are - it allows our customer to be themselves, too.

It creates a connection that creates loyalty and even allows us to make mistakes sometimes - a kind of jumping off point.

It sounds easy and it is, but it isn't at the same time. It is hard work. It takes courage and a willingness to release trying to be everything to everybody.

(and I hope we have all given up on that already - it's a doomed business model)

So, after unwrapping the plant and leaving that office without saying a word I have nothing but gratitude to them for the lesson they offered up ... and, I'm sure the place that eventually gets my business will be grateful to them, too.

* if you can't stand the heat print by blimp cat studio

(I should add that most likely the reason I took away the authenticity lesson from this situation is that I am dealing with one of my own trying to decide between my usual chicken charity giveaway Thanksgiving weekend in my shops vs. the free-shipping that the changes on Etsy has me considering - maybe thinking in terms of what my customers desire will help me figure this out)

Upcycled Holiday Gift Ideas - Week # 7

This week 3 easy, peasy upcycles.

You may not have the goods on hand to create exactly these pieces, but they may get you thinking about things that you do have and ways to rework them!

The level turned coat rack above (add hooks, knobs and hanging hardware on back) makes a great gift for someone's entry way.

These giant old casters will make someone a great pair of industrial bookends. I was originally going to screw them into a book or board, but thought I would give them as is since that would make them more versatile.

(attach directly to furniture, hold more or less books, etc)

I realize this type of thing isn't for everyone, I won't be giving an old pair of casters to my mother-in-law for instance, but there is someone on my gift list with a work table of books needing a good home.

This vintage suitcase and Anthropologie faux-vintage metal painted shelf racks will make an amazing shelf. The suitcase can be displayed opened or closed.

If your vintage suitcase has a musty smell - I have found that airing them out outdoors and then putting a bar of soap inside a sock inside the suitcase usually works. If the smell is very strong you may need to place a small bag of charcoal inside the suitcase for a few days or some newspapers (change them every couple days) until the odor is gone.

Hubby and I are going out tonight for a "we both forgot our anniversary" night on the town so I have been getting ready as I posted this causing my toenail polish to go all the way down to the knuckle and also on the carpet and maybe just a little on the baseboards - but that's just more festive, I think ...

we are determined to party until they start stacking the chairs upside down on the tables – the universal sign for "you have had enough, go home now" ... or at least until 9:00 ....

xo all

olive rants .....

Drove up to the ATM. Rolled down my window. Put in my card.

Got $100. Magic. Me likey.

But, I got my card back even though I still had a check to deposit.

Went to put the card in again and it slipped out of my fingers and bounced. Under. My. Car.

By now, of course there was someone behind me. Tapping. His. Steering. Wheel.

I pulled forward and by some miracle he didn't ...

Got my card and stood there, trying to figure out how to make a deposit. Finally the ATM spit out an envelope so hard it flew under the tapper's car.

I'm clearly not smart (or fast) enough for this whole process.

(whimpered for my mommy)

Made eye contact with the tapper.

Indicated with sign language that I was about to slide my arm under the front of his car. He indicated back by throwing his hands in the air something that looked like either

#1. I understand, go ahead or
#2. I understand, go ahead, make my day, I would love an excuse to accidentally on purpose run you over - I decided he had kind eyes and probably wouldn't want to explain an ATM hit and run to the small boy seated next to him.

I tried to reach the envelope. Couldn't reach it. Went back to the machine.

Realized too late it helps if you don't hit "continue" before typing a dollar amount for your deposit. Transaction denied. Got my card back.

Put my card in again. The ATM shot out another envelope, but I was ready this time so I caught it. Between my teeth. Really, they are enormous. Resisted the urge to bite it into tiny pieces and throw them up in the air all over myself like lunatic confetti.

Finally got our tax refund check deposited. Yes, you read that right. Tax. Refund Check. In November. For $47.00 - Just. Don't. Ask.

* one of those days print by tinoiseau

thanking our vets today

Have a nice weekend everyone.