Check out http://www.northstarjewellery.etsy.com

Etsy is a online craft community where people can buy and sell handmade items. I recently started a shop there, http://www.idontmatch.etsy.com, where I sell clothing.

 

I have also met a fellow etsian, Jen McKeogh, who sells jewellery at:

www.northstarjewellery.etsy.com, and I’d like to tell you more about her. She sells handmade one of a kind pieces of jewellery for all occasions from a prom to a wedding to just because Her real world location is in Co. Donegal, Ireland, and she also has a separate web site at www.doylejewellerydesign.com . You can read her  blog at www.doylejewellerydesign.blogspot.com .

 

Jen began making jewellery full-time about 4 years ago, but has been painting and drawing for just about as long as she could hold a pencil.

“I have always been really creative,” said Jen. “It all began when I was pregnant with my daughter, and got a bad case of that whole nesting instinct thing. A bag full of mismatched and oddly shaped squares later, I decided that knitting wasn’t for me, and I turned my attention to the fascinating world of beads…and I haven’t looked back since!”

Jen added that she nature inspires her art, “especially the ever changing moods of the sea,” she said, but she is also inspired by many other things, including the words of a poem, or a wonderful piece of music, or the need to create.

 

Jen creates in a room just off the kitchen that she has taken over! “I get good light in there the whole day, and it also serves as an office space,” Jen said. ”I recently (read- finally!) got some shelves put up to house my ever growing collection of books- I am a voracious reader. Its great not to have to put everything away at the end of the day. I also have a huge cd collection in there as well as I have to have music when I work.” (Jen listens to lots of types of music, including everything from heavy metal to classical to old 50’s classics. It depends on her mood.)

Although Jen loves to create jewellery ,  there is a downside to her craft.

“I like least that I can’t get the supplies I need here in my own country, and what is available is very expensive so I have to outsource my materials,” Jen explained.”

However, there’s also a positive side.

“What I like most is when I have finished a piece and that moment afterwards where you think ”yeah, I made that,’ and I also like it when someone buys a piece from me, and is totally delighted with their purchase- that always makes me feel good,” Jen said. “And finally I like the absolutely endless creative possibilities within the art of jewellery making- there are so many techniques to try and materials to play with- I love it.”

However, Jen’s best moment as a crafter was when she sold out of nearly everything I had brought with her to a jewellery party. “I had a lot of happy customers that night,” explained Jen, “and I was over the moon that I had sold so well, well enough that the same group of women now have me back twice a year for jewellery parties.”

So what advice does Jen have for upcoming crafters?

“I would say to anyone starting off, be prepared to work long and hard, crafting isn’t for the faint of heart. Believe in yourself and your talents and never give up, because it will happen. But this business is one where it takes time to build a reputation and you need to promote, promote, promote… I wasn’t really prepared for how hard it can be at times. And get yourself involved with local groups, or even an online one so that you have a good support network about you.  And I would say the best of luck to anyone who wants to have a craft business because if you can make it work, it is really rewarding, on a personal level too- how many people do know that can honestly say that they love what they do?”

I’m for gay marriage.

Yes, I’m for gay marriage, so if you are not, you can stop reading now, or tell me how you are very offended by my views. But you know, we live in America, and this is the land of the free! We also have freedom of speech, so yes, you can say you are for or against something without fear of reprisal. This is freedom of speech.

Also, some people feel this is not traditional; well, why does everyone have to be traditional? Are we so afraid to tell our children about more than one way of life? Are our children not capable of thinking of different points of view, and then making their own decisions?

My son is eight, and when I told him about Prop 8, his basic response was that’s dumb; why does marriage have to be only between a man and a woman. I completely agree, and I think it’s long time that same sex couples have the same rights as married couples have. Let us not revert to the time when we did not allow mixed race marriages, where we did not allow people of different races to marry, solely based on the color of the skin.

What did Martin Luther King, Jr. say? Something like he wanted his children to be able to live in a country where they were not judged by the color of the skin. I’m for that too, and I think that freedom includes not judging people by their sexual orientation. Who are they hurting? It’s not like they are forcing babies to smoke crack on railroad tracks when a train is coming! They just want to get married. Let’s let them!

New slippers at http://www.idontmatch.etsy.com

I’m really excited about the four pairs of slippers I added to my web site, http://www.idontmatch.etsy.com. They fit a 7.5 size foot, and one pair would fit a 12 inch long foot!

Check out one pair at:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16081235

All slippers are $14, and are perfect for those cold mornings, or for any time you want to keep your feet extra warm!

And remember, five percent of every sale is donated to Stockton’s battered women’s shelter.

Thanks for helping, and have a great day!

Reduced prices at my shop!

Looking for great adult clothing, and preemie and baby items? Check out http://www.idontmatch.etsy.com. I just reduced my prices on most items, so everything is $25 or less! Also, five percent of every sale is donated to my town’s battered women’s shelter. Thanks for helping!

I do custom orders

I sell clothing for preemies, babies, children and adults through my web site: http://www.idontmatch.etsy.com. Blankets, baby wraps, diaper soakers, slippers, socks, and dishcloths are also available. Don’t see what you want? Please e-mail me at loritate102@yahoo.com, and we can discuss a custom order. If it’s knitted or crocheted, I’m your girl! And remember, five percent of every sale is donated directly to my town’s battered women’s shelter. Thanks for helping!

How to not pay for child care

With the recent recession, everyone is looking to save money, right? Well, my husband and I figured a long time ago that the traditional 8 to 5 jobs weren’t going to work for us, so we avoid paying for child care by working split shifts.

My husband works from 4 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and I work from 5 to 9 p.m., and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends, when my husband is home, and can watch our child. We spend time together on my days off, and on weekend nights.

Here’s how we have made this venture successful:

1) Communicate through notes. What have you done, what do you need me to do, good job on this, what were you thinking with that, thank you, thank you, thank you, you rock! The you rock! is very important, because we like to be positive and supportive.

2) Don’t discuss upsetting things when people first wake up or when they are hungry. Tempers tend to flare, and then we are fighting about stupid stuff, like why Jack stayed with the bad guys on Lost.

3) Spend time together as a family, but also value private time. Spend time by yourself often. It’s OK not to do everything together; sometimes you just need a break.

4) Split the chores. For example, I wash the dishes, and do the laundry (with our son’s help) in the morning, and then my husband does those chores in the evening. We share the homeschooling duties, and the major chores.

And we don’t pay child care, saving about $200 a month, because one of us is always available to watch our child ….. Woo hoo!!!!

Finally, some industries that support untraditional shifts are retail and driving jobs. For example, I work in customer service, and my husband works as a courier and dispatcher for a courier company. Companies that offer untraditional shifts include Home Depot, Lowe’s, McDonald’s, Wal-Mart, Office Depot, Michael’s, and Office Max.

If you are paying more than you’d like for child care, you might want to give slit shifts a try. Thanks for reading, and have a happy day!

Help for battered women

How can battered women get help? Perhaps through a trusted friend, or family member, or perhaps by calling a domestic abuse hotline. Our local battered women’s shelter has an office in town, and I have decided to donate a portion of every sale I make to the battered women’s shelter. Care to help me out? Just check out my site at http://www.idontmatch.etsy.com!

And consider this …. Abuse does not discriminate. Anyone of any color, shape, size, race or intelligence can be beaten. There are many kinds of abuse, both emotional and physical, and sometimes it’s hard to know what’s happening until it’s too late.

These women need help, as if they even have the courage to leave, they usually must do it with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Their self-esteem has usually been reduced to smithereens, so if they even have the confidence to leave, it’s a very important first step. These places need our help, and they are getting it from me.

Will you help?

How to save money

With gas prices about $4 a gallon, and the housing market in the toliet, who wouldn’t want to save money? I’ve always been frugal, but have taken this attitude to new heights. Here’s how:

1) Use cloth rags, and cloth dishtowels instead of paper napkins and towels.

2) Use reusable sanitary napkins. You can order them online. Search by “reusable sanitary napkins.” This is not as gross as you might think. You just soak the sanitary napkins in a bucket with laundry detergent when you are done with them, and then dump the entire bucket’s contents into the wash every few days.  The products do cost a lot initially, but you get that cost back over several months when you use the products over and over.

3) Use reusable bags for grocery shopping, library trips, and anytime you go outside, and need to carry your stuff.  You can find these online too at http://www.reusablebags.com .

4) Go to the library. You can get free books, videos and books on tape for FREE! Just don’t forget to return them on time!

5) Go to the library again for theri free children and adult programs. Watch a puppet show. Learn how to use a computer. Listen to a story. Do a craft.

6) Trip link! This means not taking twenty million little trips a day. Plan ahead, and see how you can travel more efficiently by combining all your errands. For example, go to the grocery store for bread on the way to the craft store for yarn. Caution: When taking a small child, take something for the child to do, and limit the trip to three places. Also take snacks.

7) Make your own granola for breakfast. You can find recipies online.

Go online when you need something. Sometimes you can get stuff for free by going to freecycle (go to Yahoo Groups), or craigslist. Also, sometimes when you buy online, you save money. Do the research, and see what works for you.

9) Cut the fat. Go through your house, and see what you really don’t need. Is it just taking up space? Get rid of it, and don’t get something to replace it. Less stuff means less stuff to clean, resulting in less cleaning materials to buy, meaning more cash in your pocket.

10) Check out thrift shops. They’ve come a long way! We got a very nice sofa at a thrift shop for $30, and it’s lasted us for three years and counting. We’ve also gotten pants, swimming suits, children’s clothing, and toys at thrift shops, and have always been very satisified. The prices can’t be beat too! Just examine what you’re buying for defects, and you’re on your way!

These tips are just the tip of the iceberg for saving money. Basically, you simpify and try to find a cheaper, easier way of doing things. For example, how about making your own coffee instead of going to Starbucks, or even giving up coffee altogether?

There are also many frugal web sites that you can explore. Just search by “frugal” on http://www.google.com, or search by “frugal” in Yahoo Groups (http://www.yahoo.com). There also used to be a leading expert in frugality, the Frugal Zealot, but I think she may have retired. She may still have a web site though, so you could search by “frugal zealot,” and see what comes up.

Thank you for visiting, and don’t forget to visit my web site at http://www.idontmatch.etsy.com for all your young children’s and women’s clothing needs! You will be spending money, but you will also be benefiting the local battered women’s shelter, because a portion of every sale goes to the shelter. Also, you will be purchasing quality items that will last a very long time (months to years).

Thank you again for visiting, and have a great day!

How to get free yarn and other stuff

It’s great to get free stuff, right? I found this out when I got several free skeins of yarn for my business, http://www.idontmatch.etsy.com.  Here’s how you may be able to get free stuff too!

1) Freecycle! Go to Yahoo, set up a free account, and then click on Groups. Search for “Freecycle” in your area. Freecycle is a group that tries to give unwanted items a second chance by offering them for use just one more time. Your trash could be another’s person treasure type of thing.

Anyway, join the group, read the rules, and then post a message for what you want. You can also post messages to get rid of stuff you don’t want, like old mattresses or freezers. (I actually did that!) People respond to you by e-mail, and then you can make arrangements to meet.

Please be safe, and meet somewhere public with lots of people, just in case!

2) http://www.craigslist.com — Check the free listings in your area. There may be something you can use!

3) newspapers – Check the “for free” listings. You never know what you’ll find.

4) Barter. Let people know what you want, and what you are willing to offer. Talk to friends, family and co-workers. For example, would you be willing to mow a lawn for a garbage bag full of yarn? (I totally wouldn’t, but that’s only because I pull a muscle every time I mow a lawn. I would be willing to trim the hedges, though …. )

5) Chat with people about your passions. You never know who may have yarn (or something else!)going to waste in a basment or attic.

6) Project Linus — Look them up online, and find a chapter in your area. If you donate handmade crafts, mainly blankets, to the organization, you may receive donations of yarn or fabric with the understanding that those products would be used for charity projects too.

And just remember, it may be fun to follow your passion, but it could be even more fun when the material is free!

Thanks for visiting, and have a great day!

Pursuing the dream

Well, life is never boring at our household. While I am pursuing my craft business, http://www.idontmatch.etsy.com, we have listed our house for sale, figured out my husband doesn’t like his job, and considered adoption. It’s just a mile a minute at our house! Oh, and did I mention my son has ADHD, we have two very protective dogs, and my husband wants to get a Great Dane? I honestly think we deliberately do things to stir things up!

But sometimes maybe that’s what you need to do, to give yourself back the illusion of control.

As I’ve said before, I just need to keep doing things I enjoy, getting regular sunshine and exercise, and hopefully, it will all work out. I have faith!

Thanks for visiting, and have a good day!