Today being Sunday, I normally take time to rest and do something fun, like gardening or reading. Today, I was sore and thought that the best way to deal with it was to learn something that I'd wanted to try for a while: making polymer clay beads. I ended up making a bunch of cool beads with blue and white polymer clay in a few designs. I made some spiraled corkscrew beads, some round beads and 2 that are going to remain a (birthday) surprise in case certain people are reading my blog. I have glazed them and I'm waiting for them to dry so i can make cool stuff with them tomorrow - I can't wait! I'm sore and exhausted, but I don't care, because I made beads! How cool is that? That's all for now, Meghann
Well I must say that the new Etsy store is keeping me busy! I've been really tired and cruddy-feeling lately but I've been doing my best to ignore it and make myself busy on the Etsy front. Not being on any mdications means I have to get really creative in managing my disease (that or I sleep!). I've made a few new items that are for sale on the Etsy store and I have even joined a team of Etsy sellers from the Ottawa area called Capital Crafters - you can find us by going to the blog site at: http://capitalcrafters.blogspot.com/ (check out a mini-interview of yours truly!) or by going onto the Etsy site at www.etsy.com and searching for "ottawa team". I'm off to update my other blogs and make more jewellery (and maybe tidy my house - it's looking a little worse for wear, lol). Take care, Meghann
~Two of the Many Varieties of Earrings Available on My Etsy Store~
I have a confession to make: I have fallen in love - with Etsy! My store is doing very well, and I have just joined a team of other Ottawa artists and crafters called "Capital Crafters" so that I can help and be helped by other businesses in the Ottawa area that are selling on Etsy also. If you want to see their items, use the keywords "Ottawa Team" in your searches so that you to can buy handmade and locally! I have to say that even though I've been feeling really sore lately, this has given me hope. I'm getting really positive feedback from the community and have even made a few sales in the last week! Things are looking really, really positive, in spite of the daily struggle with my disease. I've had more inspiration to create new pieces, and I've pushed myself to make some of them to put on my store. I do hope you'll check it out. Etsy is part of a huge movement to promote individuals and the buying of handmade items. You know when you buy that you are able to talk to the creator and you know where it was made. You know what it is made of, and most importantly, you are helping to support an individual, local business, not just some huge, faceless corporation. Many people are like myself: individuals who are not able, for one reason or another, to work outside the home. Your purchase of an artist's work helps them in a real way. So Thank You Very Much! Check out my store at: http://www.littlestudiojewels.etsy.com Check out my store for daily additions, including a few sales! Take care, Meghann
I thought I'd give a shout-out to a friend of mine who was at GenCon Indy over the last few days showing off his new game called "Black Cadillacs". It's an RPG based on war stories and I was privileged enough to be able to take the promo shots for it about a month ago. You can see more at their website at: http://www.achtung-spiel.com/ . There, you can find out more about the game, purchase the text and more! Good luck Darcy, I hope this works out really well for you, the game sounds awesome!
~ A picture of the Bride and Groom's beautiful wedding rings~
In other news, I got to take photographs with my friend Stephanie at the best wedding we've ever had the pleasure of witnessing on August 9. We had a great time with everyone; the bride was beautiful (and incredibly easy to work with), the groom was well composed and happy, and their friends and family were so happy and friendly it was like something out of a feel good movie (minus the cheese). I wish them all the best in their future lives together! Hopefully they will allow me to put a few of their pictures on my website and you can see what I mean about a great couple!
And there's more - Brennan and I are trying to spend about half an hour per day clearing out the destruction in our forest left by loggers five years ago. It is hard work, but it's amazing how big a difference just half an hour can make! In just 2 sessions we've managed to make a small trail on one side of the property leading to a massive dead brush pile (I guess we know whose house people are going to for bonfires!) and another trail is starting on the other side of the property. We are aiming to have the forest looking good by the time we get married next year in September. I really think we'll do it - as the saying goes, "Many hands make light work", and I really believe it!
Gandalf is still well, we are still praying hard that we get the money for his surgery soon. I'm still working on my Etsy store at www.littlestudiojewels.etsy.com to sell my jewellery and art there. More is going up tomorrow so check it out!
That's all for now, I'm off to bed for some much deserved rest!
~My Cat Gandalf, One Step Closer to Getting His Teeth Fixed~
Well, we are now $250 closer to getting Gandalf's teeth fixed! My wonderful dad went drag racing last weekend (his favourite hobby!) and said that anything he won he would selflessly put towards Gandalf's dental surgery. Lo and behold, he got 4th place on a huge race weekend, and won $250 for Gandalf! Thank you so much Dadoo! Hallelujah! I've also made a few jewellery sales this week, so we are getting there, thank God. Gandalf is still his super-friendly self, still chomping away at his food, so the surgery isn't critical right now, but I still want to get it done asap. In other good news, Brennan and I got to spend a nice day at his parents' rented cottage this week. Although I was sore as all get out, it was great to see them again, and I even got some sun! Yes, it actually stopped raining for most of the afternoon and I got some wonderful, bone warming sun with a great view of Lake Dore and the distant shoreline. We had a nice visit with his parents, and although I was about as sore as I've ever been, it was great to get out and about! I have also started a new online store, in addition to my www.littlestudio.ca website. I have a store on Etsy.com now, and it is at www.littlestudiojewels.etsy.com Here you'll see more jewellery that isn't for sale on the website, and some other cool stuff too! I hope you'll check it out, and give me some feedback. I'll be adding more items continuously to the Etsy store in hopes of getting more people to see my works. That's all for now, my friend and partner-in-crime Stephanie and I are doing photographs at a wedding tomorrow and I need to be as rested as possible. Take care, prayers to all of you!
I've had a bad week. A really, really bad week. I'm sore, exhausted at nothing, and broke. Broke, broke, broke. I haven't been able to work since last November. I can't afford my medications for my fibromyalgia (not that they were doing anything anyway, but I always had hope), I can't afford my physical therapy for my fibromyalgia, and now, on top of hydro bills, phone bills, and other everyday expenses, my cat went to the vet for his annual check up and apparently needs dental surgery. $1100 of dental surgery to be exact. He is 12 years old, and has been my bud since I was 13, so I will not let him suffer. The vet says I need to do it before Christmas, but the sooner the better. I want to. I really, really want to do it now so he doesn't have to go another day with bad teeth (I can't even imagine). The obvious problem is, of course, that I don't have the money to pay the hydro bills, or get my hair cut, or replace my socks with holes in them. I need help! Please pray for me and the cat. I don't know how we'll get the money for this - my fiance anf I haven't even been able to save anything for our wedding next year. ......And it is raining AGAIN. Jeez, will someone please turn it off for more than a day? The good news: the dog is in perfect health, and so is the cat, apart from the dental stuff. The cat isn't in obvious pain, and still eats, though now I'm moistening his food slightly so it's easier to chew. It could be worse, I suppose. I try to stay positive, and make more jewellery in the hopes that it will sell. I have more coming, so keep checking the jewellery blog and my website for more details (the links are on the bar at right). Take care, I'm off to overturn my patio chairs full of rainwater. Meghann
This is now a copy of my main blog, Little Studio Photography and Jewellery http://www.meglittlestudio.blogspot.com. If you have any questions, please leave a comment and I will gladly try to answer it :)
~A Few of the Beads~
