Saturday, January 17, 2009

I've been Blogged!

I am very excited! This is the first time I have been blogged! My jewelry creations are my passion.

Just over two years ago, I joined a little website called Etsy. It is one of the sites that I sell on but it is probably the best thing that could have ever happened to me. I have met some of the most wonderful artists and artisans. Etsy is not just an online mall. It is a community of handcrafted junkies like myself. The community aspect of Etsy is what keeps me going.

I belong to two street teams JewelryOnEtsy and Eclectic Jewelry Artisans. Both groups harbor the most giving, fun-loving and talented artists that I have been happy to have met. The purpose of a street team is to gather our efforts to promote ourselves, each other and share knowledge of our chosen artistic medium.

But there is also fun to be had! We are able to vent to each other about common issues, chat and laugh about silly things on Wednesday or Friday nights, but most importantly support each other in our business and even in our personal lives.

Like life nothing is perfect, Etsy is not perfect but it is the perfect place to meet and join up with like minded individuals.

Check out these two great Etsy Street Teams or find one that fits your interests.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Lifting Winter's Warm Blanket

Well, the holidays are over and things are beginning to resume back to "normal". Our family schedule is kicking into high gear. Kids are back in school, hubby is in his office and I am back at work and looking forward to starting up another semester of Art Jewelry.

The weather here in Northwest Illinois has been very unpredictable. Our holiday vacation started out with a blizzard and ended with a cold wet wind. It was too cold to go out most days and by the time it warmed up all the snow was gone. Even though we were all getting a little cabin fever, it was nice to spend time at home together. Most days were spent watching movies, playing video games (yes even I love to play Guitar Heroes with the kids!), or just snuggled up under a nice warm blanket restoring some of the energy that the holidays seem to suck out of you. I found myself getting a little too comfortable with the sleeping late, getting up late and just not wanting to do very much. Humans are not meant to hibernate!

Like a very pleasant end to my winter vacation, I had some friends over for a Ladies Playdate. Everyone brought their projects, wonderful food and laughter! I always love social gatherings but I especially love gatherings that include creating something, sharing ideas and learning something new. There is nothing like getting a group of very artistic ladies together to get the inspirational juices flowing. My class starts up next week and I am looking forward to bringing some new ideas to life.

So while it has been a nice long vacation from the hustle and bustle of the holidays, I am ready to lift the warm comforting blanket and get moving!