Muse's Corner

Jaye opened her store on July 25th! I have actually already had a couple of things sell! Let's hope it keeps up. While I love the Etsy site, there are so many talented crafters there it's more like a conference site for sellers than a place for buyers to buy. I've had a lot of constructive criticism for my store from others there and have made a few changes but have had not much luck in sales. (Personally, I've had more luck with EBay and craft fairs.
I've started making some ladies' handbags and checkbook covers and that's what's in Muse's Corner. They seem to be a quick and easy thing for me to make. Kind of like making the jewelry. I get some instant gratification from the sewing and that seems to be the big thing with holding my interest. I'll try to post some pictures later this week. I'd love some constructive thoughts on the colors and patterns that I'm using.
Jaye has so many different types of artists in her shop that it would be hard for you not to find something that suited your tastes. She has paintings, photographs, candles, jewelry, accessories, children's items and even homemade cakes and popcorn! The shop has several rooms all with items beautifully displayed.
If you're ever in the Jacksonville area, you really should take the time to visit. She's located right next door to Biscotti's Restaurant on St. Johns Avenue in the historic Avondale area.

Muse's Corner

I've been invited to join a group of talented local crafters and artists to place some of my handbags in Muse's Corner. Jaye Richardson is opening the store in the historic area of Jacksonville known as the Shoppes of Avondale. The shop is scheduled to open July 25 and is filled with the works of some wonderfully talented local people. She has assembled so many wonderful items from local painters and photographers to jewelry makers, baby items and accessories.
So the next time you find yourself in historic Avondale, stop by her shop. I'm sure you'll be impressed...and I know there is certainly something in the shop that will appeal to everyone!

Etsy's Sneak Attacks

Some of the crafters on Etsy have organized a group that schedules "group sales" on a new seller's website. They choose a new crafter's shop on a scheduled date and buy items from the shop. This is a wonderful way to encourage crafters.
I love this idea!! It offers sales as well as some much needed encouragement. So if you get a moment and love to buy homemade, check out their website. You just might encourage the handmade movement and end up with some wonderfully made items as well!

Loving that Stumble button...

Are you an internet junky? A crafting junky? Have you tried Stumble yet?? In my opinion, Stumble Upon is one of the best interactive social sites on the net. You simply register (they send no spam mail!), download a toolbar for your browser and set up your personal interests. The list of topics to choose from is endless. And it's extremely addictive!
My interests are set up for photography, which I'm just learning, crafts, travel, books and many others. It's a great way to find some of the more obscure websites that wouldn't rank in the top few on a normal Google or Yahoo search. There are some wonderful sites that are full of new ideas for cooking, tips on traveling inexpensively, great book recommendations...you name it, it's out there. I find it fascinating and have found some great inspiration.
I've also found some really talented crafters and craft sites. Ohmystars is one of those sites. This site has everything from re-purposed t-shirts to sewing ideas. There are some really cute ideas here. Interweave Store has project instructions available for download as well as magazines and books you can purchase. And I love the Dollar Store Crafts site. They've taken items you can easily find at your local dollar stores and have turned them into fabulous useful items. The instructions are easy to follow and include photos of the completed items. There are also tutorials as well as some great links to other sites.
If you're a crafter or even a "wannabe" crafter, take a look at Stumble as well as the sites above. I think you'll find some great craft ideas and maybe some wonderful inspiration yourself!

Cooking for a low carb dieter

My husband is always watching his carbs. This can lead to very boring dinners if I'm not careful. I "stumbled" onto a great recipe site that has some wonderful recipes. Here's the link: http://www.recipezaar.com/ The variety of recipes listed is unbelievable. There are also ratings by members that include comments, adjustments to spices and cooking times if necessary. The site also includes nutritional information so you know exactly what you're serving your family.
I've made some of the "normal' recipes as well for our neighborhood happy hours and the food is always raved over! It's nice to have a site that I can count on so I don't get bored cooking. I hate eating the same things for dinner all the time and my husband has had very few complaints which always makes me feel great.

The weather...

The weather here has been a BIG tease...We were thinking that warm weather had finally come. I know...there are still places with snow...and that's why I live here not there!! It's supposed to be in the mid-60's this weekend. Which means no trip to the beach except maybe for a walk. I am SO ready for summer but I'll take a warm-up to spring temps.
Maybe we should go to the Farmers' Market this weekend. There always seems to be a nice mix of produce and fruit to purchase which is always good for Saturday night dinner ideas. Since we never know what we're going to find, it can lead us to change our minds about what we're cooking once we get home. They really have some beautiful fruits and veggies along with some very friendly vendors. Most of the time you can find something that the grocery store doesn't carry that's grown locally. So not only do we enjoy our walk through the market, we help the local farmers as well.

This weekend

One of the largest book sales in the area is this weekend! The Friends of the Library sponsor several book sales a year here. We live close to the county lines which means that I have access to 2 county library systems...which means LOTS of cheap books! One library sells the books for anywhere from 50 cent to 2 dollars. The other sale has what they call "Bag Day" on the last day. On the last day, you pay 8 dollars for a brown paper grocery bag and can take home all the books that will fit in the bag for the 8 bucks!!! This is usually a bad thing for my husband because I never buy just one bag. Do you know how many paperback books you can fit into one of those bags???
The sale this weekend is going to be at the fairgrounds in one of the exhibition halls. They bring in books by the tractor trailer load! Since the books are so cheap, it really lets me explore lots of different authors that I might have normally hesitated to buy. It really does broaden my options and lets me change the author to suit my mood. Since we spend lots of time on the beach, I can make sure that I never run out of something good to read.
One of my girlfriends was teasing me about the number of books in the closet (yes, they take up a whole closet and no I don't feel bad about it!). She wanted to know if I've ever counted the number of books I read in a year. I haven't but maybe I should. Since I always carry a book with me, I read all the time. It can keep me sane in traffic, standing in line, waiting at the doctor's office...And I'm not quite so frustrated with the wait times.
I can't wait to see what I find this weekend! And hey, I'm always looking for suggestions for what to do with the books when I've finished reading them. I can't donate them back to the library so my next thought would be Goodwill or maybe a hospital or nursing home?? Let me know what you think and enjoy your weekend!

The New Year...

What to do with my time?? I work in construction accounting by trade but I'm currently on a medical leave. I have a fear of becoming "brain dead" so I try to keep busy with any number of things. My favorites being reading, crafting and the Internet.
I've been crafting for as long as I can remember. I seem to focus manly on making jewelry right now but I've tried sewing, embroidery, cross stitch...pretty much anything is fair game! I love to make all sorts of things and try to keep the "dabbling" to a minimum due to the costs. I've started a notebook that includes the directions for things I'd like to try in the future. I flipped through it recently and realized that my interests are more varied than I realized. So I've learned to look for the craft store coupons. It helps immensely to keep my fickleness from becoming outrageously expensive. I recently set up a shop on Etsy with the hopes that it would help pay for some of my crafting habits. Here's the link: Beechbaby's Stuff.

Here's a photo of the birthday present I recently made for my husband's birthday.
He was thrilled with it! (If any of you are Clemson fans, you'll recognize this as Tillman Hall.) I love the way this turned out! The photo looks like it's been actually printed on the tiles. I found the instructions on Instructables.com. It was a little scary at first and I think next time I need to add some caulking between the tiles for a more finished look. What do you think?