in the works...with some thoughts about time management

The current EtsyBlogger Carnival is hosted by Edi of memoriesforlifesb.  Here are the topics:
1. How do you prioritize your time? How do you get more hours out of the day?
2. Are you a multi-tasker? Or do you prefer to finish one project before starting another?

I wrote a hub last month about this topic: Time Management Strategies and Techniques: How to Find Time For Your Hobbies and Personal Goals.  I am constantly asked, "How do you find the time for this?" about a number of my different projects.  This hub is my way giving people an honest answer because truthfully, there is no way to answer it in 2 sentences.

However, the basic answer I do give people is that I get a lot done while I'm watching TV, and I don't do a lot of random online browsing anymore.  I am constantly amazed how many people watch 2-3 hours of TV every day after work and don't get anything else accomplished during that time.  If you don't know where to start, cut out half that time or start getting something done while you watch.

As far as multitasking goes, I'm sure that you can tell from a lot of my "in the works" and "sneak peek" posts that I almost always have at least two beading projects going at one time, if not three or four.  I enjoy working up shorter projects in the middle of longer ones to help break things up.  I give myself plenty of time for the deadlines I do have, such as the EBW Challenges, so I don't get stressed out.

With all of that being said, here's a look at what I've been working on this past week.

I have been assembling my button magnet supplies this past week.  I haven't done a craft fair in almost a year, and it's been a long time since I worked on magnets.  I'm also going to try to develop some button tacks and button pins for my next show in November.  Does anyone have any ideas for how I could display pins?

I got out an old color combination when I remade this pendant recently.  I originally made a peyote cuff to match that I sold a while back.  I decided to make a herringbone piece this time.  It will be part of my new line that I'll release in 2012.

I've also been making a few purple/red pieces.  This is a brand new one that I'll be listing sometime this fall.

I have all of the pictures done for my clasp pattern and new right angle weave pattern (which I'm using my Picasso piece for).

I'm on track to list both the Picasso piece and the pattern for it well before the October 5 deadline.  I'm planning to release the clasp pattern before the end of October.

EtsyBloggers Carnival: fall recipe

I'm hosting one of the EtsyBlogger September carnivals.  The topics that I chose are:
1) Do you have a favorite fall recipe?  Share it here.
2) Have you been working on any new fall designs?  Post some pictures and talk about these new designs and/or post a tutorial.

I knew that I wanted to share a recipe, but I'll also briefly share my newest fall earrings with you again.

They are now available here.

I can't believe that I hadn't taken a picture of this recipe before now.  Normally these muffins get eaten so quickly that it's hard to take a picture until there are only one or two left.  But I remembered this week just for you guys.

 (The recipe for the other cookies in this picture is available right here.)

This recipe is from The Comfort Table by Katie Lee Joel.  It has been a staple in our house for the last couple years.  They are perfect for breakfast, snacks, or dessert.  We eat them all year round, but they are especially fitting for fall.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Muffins

This recipe includes nutmeg, which I don't add, but you can if you want.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

one 15 oz. can pure pumpkin puree (not pie filling)

Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

In a medium bowl, beat together the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Add the pumpkin puree and mix well. Add the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

Pour the batter into the muffin tin. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the muffin tin cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the muffins.

EtsyBloggers Carnival: back to school fashion

Treasury round up will return next week.  I wasn't able to collect treasuries while I was out of town this week, but I'll gather them up and post everything next week.

One of the current EtsyBlogger Carnival topics is to talk about back to school fashions from my shop.  With a jewelry shop, there are tons of different options for back to school.  Of course pieces with fall colors are always a good choice.  (Click on the photos for the listings.)

Search fall in my shop for a few additional pieces.

I also be listing these sometime next month. (Yes, listing a seasonal piece in the correct season!)

Another fun consideration for a lot of the skinnier pieces in my shop is layering.  I know that this is not everyone's style, but I have always enjoyed stacking several bracelets together.

A lot of my narrower right angle weave bracelets are perfect for this.

Browse my right angle weave section for more choices.  There is no end of possibilities for different color combinations, themes, textures, styles, etc.

Does anyone else enjoy layering their bracelets?  I would love to see your techniques for this.

EtsyBloggers Carnival: Summer Recipe II

Before I get to the carnival topic, I have to post this picture that I forgot to include in yesterday's post. A few of you mentioned how nice the trees are in our neighborhood, which is definitely true.  There are lots of large trees.  This is something else that I missed in our newer neighborhood in Iowa.

Moving on, Deb (storybeader) also picked the topic of favorite summer recipe for the Blog Carnival.  I posted earlier this summer about how I love iced tea when I did my tea feature.  I also love iced coffee.  I don't drink it very often because I don't want to start a caffeine addiction.  But it's a wonderful treat once in a while, especially in the summer.  My brother stayed with us over the weekend and made coffee.  There was a little left over so I jumped on the chance to make some iced coffee at home.

I don't keep a lot of beans on hand.  We used some Hy-Vee brand beans that I got back in Iowa.  I stuck the leftover coffee in the fridge so I didn't need to add a ton of ice.  I also added a little bit of milk and a couple spoons of sugar.  Recipe Girl has a wonderful iced coffee tutorial with photos here.  I came across it through foodgawker a couple weeks ago.  I was going to use it for a future link list but you all get to enjoy it a little earlier than that for this carnival.

EtsyBloggers Carnival: Summer Recipe

I know that this topic was actually from last month, but I didn't want to skip it.  Two of my all time favorite recipes for any time of year, but especially summer, are tuna salad and chicken salad.  It took me a while to get Jake to try them, but now he loves them as much as I do.  Of course, Angel does as well!  I've developed a set of ingredients that I use for both.  I wrote it up as a hub.  Check it out here.  Enjoy!

EtsyBloggers Blog Carnival: Summer Colors

One of the topics for this past week's blog carnival was summer colors (yep, I'm a couple days late, but only because I've had so much other stuff scheduled here).  Of course I couldn't pass up an opportunity to talk about color.  This topic also fits in perfectly with the July EBW Challenge theme, which is sizzling sunshine and soothing water.  You can read more about it here.  Yep, I just finished and listed my June piece and I'm already thinking about July.  That's how it goes with these challenges!

I took my time ordering beads for this challenge because I was having trouble tracking down some seashell or fish beads.  I had it in my head that I wanted some really sea tiny beads for part of the embellishment and just couldn't find what I wanted that was in my price range and was in a color palette that fit my piece.  I was going to order some seed beads from Shannon at beadsandbabble anyway, so on a whim, I searched shell beads there.  As you can see from the results, that's what I should have done in the first place.  It was so hard to pick, but I finally settled on this set.

They're a little bigger than my original vision, but that's okay.  I am still not entirely sure how I'm going to structure the embellishment for this piece, but it will have a R.A.W. base that represents sand with the water, shells, and sun layered over it.  Sand is not a requirement for the challenge piece, but I'm a huge fan of sand dunes so I had to include sand in my piece.

I'll be supplementing this new stash with some seed beads in my current collection, but you can get a pretty good idea of the color palette.

In general, I definitely think of bright colors when I think of summer.  Yellow always comes to mind because of the sun.  I'm still stuck on green from the spring and haven't made any new pieces specifically for summer yet.  As I mentioned last week, I will be making some Fourth of July pieces during the next few weeks.  For now, here are some summery pieces from my shop.  Click on the photos to go to the listings.

favorite gemstone - EtsyBloggers Carnival

One of the March EtsyBloggers carnival topics is to talk about one of your favorite gemstones and why you like it.  Aside from my wedding ring, I don't wear a lot of gemstones myself.  If I do get another high end ring at some point, it will almost definitely also have diamonds.  I don't work with a lot of gemstones in my own jewelry making either, but I do like incorporating chips or small rounds sometimes.  In the last year, I've made several pieces with jade and malachite.  I've always loved the look of malachite and have really enjoyed working with jade recently.

I finally listed one of my new green pieces.  At least I'm getting them up while it's still spring!

This piece is part of my rock garden series and is available here.  This newest green version has some wonderful Czech glass components from Art Beads, vintage green leaf beads from Shannon (beadsandbabble), and of course malachite chips.  I am still working on the rock garden pattern.  I'm not promising a projected date at this point with everything going on with our move in a couple months, but it will be up at some point.

And here are my jade pieces.  I sold the first one.  The second one is available here.  And yes, the clasps for the first two are Lisa Peters buttons (LisaPetersArt).  I made the third one shortly after completing the first two back in the winter but still haven't listed it.  I am VERY tempted to keep it for myself because it looks awesome with a dress I got when I was in my cousin's wedding party a couple years ago, but I will most likely part with it.  I already have a cuff that I specifically designed go with the dress so you know...how many coordinating bracelets do I really need?  If you'd like to claim it for yourself, please let me know.

And as always, if you'd like to see anything else with jade or malachite or have any specific requests for similar pieces with other gemstones, don't hesitate to leave your suggestions or contact me.

leafy feature: the Valentine's Day edition (for the EtsyBloggers)

One of the blog carnival topics for the EtsyBloggers this week is love, in honor of Valentine's Day quickly approaching.  Today is actually my dating anniversary so I thought it would be fitting to feature leafy Valentine's items.  All of these pieces would be wonderful gifts for a special girl!  Even though Jake and I celebrate our wedding anniversary now, our dating anniversary is still a neat milestone.  We've been together nine years now.  Enjoy!

Double Hoop Earrings with Aluminum Leaf Drop by KaliButterfly

GOLDEN LEAVES with HEART MemoryHolder by andyecrafts

Altered Art PHOTO LOCKET - Monochromatic Leaves - HEART Locket by urbanrose

True Blue Heart Ornament Accented with Babydoll Ficus Leaves - Double Rope by Jaritascreations

Heart Shaped Gift Tags - Blueberry Leaves by Skapligt

Personalized Honey Tree with Green Leaves Original Painting on 4 x 6 Canvas Engagement Wedding Anniversary by LoveNaturally

Valentine's Day Card - Three Layers of Felt by kristinleecards

better late than never: Dec 3 blog carnival posts

Welcome to the December 6, 2010 edition of the EtsyBloggers Blog Carnival! Here are the topics we selected from:

1) Share a holiday item that you created and tell us a little bit about it.
It can be something that you created for the 2010 holidays or for a past holiday season.

2) Create a holiday Etsy wish list and share it on your blog. What do you really want from Etsy this year?

Enjoy!


Jessica presents Blog Carnival: Etsy Holiday Wish List! posted at Cut Your Heart Out.


Rose presents Christmas 2010 Etsy wish list posted at The Beadings and Buttons of Randomcreative.

Missie presents EtsyBloggers Carnival Post posted at Sykin's One Stop Etsy Shopping Guide.

Kim presents EtsyBloggers December 3rd Blog Carnival - Happy Holidays! posted at The Peach Martini.

Deb presents EtsyBloggers Carnival - holiday gifts from the storybeader posted at Stroll Through Storyland.


Janet presents My Etsy Holiday Wish List posted at Honey from the Bee Artisan Jewelry inspired by Nature and Adventure.

Liz presents My xmas 2010 Etsy Wishlist posted at Liz's Wares.

Linda B presents Blog Carnival 12.3 for EtsyBloggers Holiday Creations posted at Linda B's Blog.

A Keeper's Jackpot presents Christmas Etsy Wishlist posted at A Keeper's Jackpot.


Erika presents Handmade for Christmas posted at NICO* Designs.


Sharla presents Wish List... posted at beadedtail.


Joey presents brrrrrr...and snow, glorious snow! posted at J o e y & A l e e t h e a 's Blog.


Cindy presents My personal Etsy wish list posted at Devine Designs Jewelry.

Linda presents Christmas Creativity posted at Pruitt Handcrafts.

Patti presents Special Christmas Designs posted at peacoxcreations.

Edi presents Friday Features-Wish List posted at Memories for Life Scrapbooks.

That concludes this edition - enjoy! Submit your blog article to the next edition of EtsyBloggers blog carnival using carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
Are you hosting next edition? When it's your turn, be sure to send Joey&Aleethea a convo to ask for the Blog Carnival code so that you can post everyone's submission on your blog. Happy Holidays!

EtsyBloggers.com

Christmas 2010 Etsy wish list

I knew that I had one of the EtsyBloggers blog carnivals for the December, but I forgot until today that it's for the 3rd!  So I'm doing my post for it. :) One thing that I like to do for Christmas and my birthday is create a wish list here on my blog for my family and friends.  Hopefully other EtsyBloggers are enjoying doing that this year as well through the carnival.  I'm sure that you already know how much I like several of these shops, but hopefully you'll pick up a few new ones to follow, too.

IVORY WITH BLUE/GREEN...Free Shipping by blueseraphim (or pretty much anything else from Jen's shop...you can't go wrong!)

Drilled Sea Glass, 3 pieces by akkricket (or any other drilled sea glass from her shop)

6/0 Tourmaline Mix Czech Glass Seed Bead Strand from beadsandbabble (or any other 6/0 Czech bead strand)

Angelic (handmade buttons set of 6) by TessaAnn

Holiday SALE . Coconut Kona . sugar body polish . 5oz squeeze bottle by DancingMooney

Business Card Mini Notebooks (10) by PipingHotPapers

16mm Dagger SATIN LAVENDER Czech Glass Beads 25x from simplypie (or any other 16mm daggers)

EtsyBloggers Blog Carnival wedding post

I couldn't resist this Blog Carnival topic.  So you get a little break from my normally scheduled topics.  I got married almost 4 years ago, and I started this blog 2 years ago so I've never posted any wedding or honeymoon pictures here before.  I had fun going through my old pictures.  This is probably way more pictures than you wanted to see, but I hope that you enjoy it.  We don't have digital copies of our professional pictures so all of the wedding pictures here are from the disposable cameras at the reception or from other people's digital cameras.  I've also included a few pictures from our honeymoon in Oahu, Hawaii.

One of Jake's aunts and one of my uncles took pictures at the rehearsal.  Here are the ring bearer and flower girl.

And a shot of the church.

In case any of you didn't already know/believe that I'm a dork, this really was our cake topper.

I love creating black and white or sepia versions of pictures.  Here are a few that I did from the disposable cameras.

And the honeymoon.

Hawaii is seriously one of the most beautiful, magical places in the world.  I've been twice and would definitely go back again.

Hawaii is one of the two places in the world (the other place is Disney World) that you can get DoleWhips.  We probably ate 6 of them while we were there.

I normally take pictures of a lot of random things on trips and don't get a lot of people shots, but here are the two of us at the Polynesian Cultural Center.