I HATE BEING SICK

 Being sick is no fun.  Right after Christmas I caught what I thought was a cold, NOPE.  Turned out I had developed bronchitis.  For the past few weeks I have not felt like doing much of anything.  Thankfully caught it early and should be back to 100% soon.  Unfortunately, I have had to push pack completion of and listing of finished products.  

The only bright spot about being sick,  I found a bunch of new patterns I want to try.  And I managed to finish a couple of books that have been lingering on my Kindle for the last 5 months or so gathering electronic dust.  

Anyway, just wanted to let everyone know why I have not posted any updates in a while.  I hope to have some pictures and listings to update you with shortly.  In the meantime here are a few pictures of things I have done in the past.

PIVOTING

 Time to Pivot

So I am deciding where to host a website, or if I want to stay with Etsy, Ebay, of Bonanza.  While I am deciding, I will be using the blog as my website.  I plan to list items I have for sale with a link to the platform on which they are available.  I will also be doing fewer in person shows this year as opposed to what I was doing in the past.  My goal is to move most of my sales online, do a few in person events just to keep a finger on the pulse of what is selling or not selling, so I can remain relevant with my merchandise.  I promise to do much better with my blogging as opposed to what I was doing in the past.  This is my year to pivot and actually be able to act upon what needs to be done.  Hope you want to come along with  me on this ride.

Faux Fern

Its Been a While

Lots of things going on lately.  I do have some updates which I will list below.  I am getting ready for a busy craft show season.  I have 8 shows between now and mid December.  I am also getting into the design end of things, which if things go the way I hope, means I can ease up on the number of craft/vintage sales I do each year. 

I am working on a hat and scarf set pattern.  I hope to have it finished and beta tested sometime in the next two or three weeks.  With a publication date set sometime before Christmas.  My goal is to get at least 4 new patterns written, tested, and published on either Ravelry, Etsy, or Craftsy before July 2019. 

I have already etched out at least 8 different designs I want to work on.  Just have to figure out the right pattern stitches to use.

My current pattern is a cow I named Sticks and Stones  I have it listed on Ravelry  Etsy and Craftsy

Now on to updates.  So my digital scale battery is dead, and I keep forgetting to buy a new one, so no weight loss updates today.  But I have met and exceeded my miles walked goal by more than 16 miles (I will keep walking each week though, as I find I feel much better when I walk than I do when I don't)  I have only887034 steps left to take.  I am actually trying to increase the number of steps I take each day.  If I can up the amount by a 200 or so I am sure I will meet my goal steps wise by the end of December. 

Thats it for now.  I will do my best to post more frequently in the future.

quick update

Sorry I'm late with the updates, getting ready for a vintage/repurposed sale, and two craft shows coming up in the next couple of months. 

Weight stayed the same this week, no gain, no loss.  I still count it as a win,  9.33 miles walked leaving 211.20 miles to reach my goal for the year, and 65585 steps walked leaving 2180290 to reach my goal for the year.

I am working on turning an old lamp shade into a wind chime, and also a larger lamp shade frame into a basket.  Will post pictures when I get them finished. 

Discovered my storage shed (it came with the property when I bought it so its really old but still sturdy) has some leaks, so I have been working at patching them this week.  My brother came by and brought his small electric garden tiller and tilled the small section of yard I am planing to put a small garden into for me today.  Hopefully I will get everything planted before Sunday, because I am going out of town for Easter.  So next weeks blog post will definitely be late getting posted.

My first attempts at a toothbrush rug

As promised I have photos of my first two attempts at a modified amish toothbrush rug will be included in this post.  One is round, and one is ovalish.  Never could get the hang of making an oval, it always ends up being closer to a square. 

Neither rug is perfect, but they will work for what I wanted them for.  As pads under a couple of large plants on the front porch.  And all they really cost was some time cutting old t shirts into strips and then looping them together.  With a little practice I can see myself making a few of these to sell at some upcoming craft shows I am doing later this year.


This is the round one, it is just about 2 1/2 feet

and this is the oval one it is about 1 1/2 by 2 1/2 feet

Like I said not bad for a first attempt.  And I have lots of oversized  t shirts that are way too big for me now, so I have lots of raw material to use for others. A great way to upcycle some old clothes and get get some nice useable rugs.  I think I might try a basket next though.  I can always use more storage.

New Blog, New Start

After a three year hiatus from blogging for my online craft business I decided to scrap the old blog and start new.  Especially since I have decided to take the business in a new direction.  I will still me concentrating on finished crocheted items, but I plan to add my own patterns, as well as other finished craft items, and vintage craft supplies and patterns to my shops.  Yes shops.  I have one on etsy :  EcoDeco and one on Bonanza:  The Sassy Crafter.

After a great deal of crunching numbers, and taking a couple of years off after my Mothers death to lung cancer, I am ready to jump back into the business of crafting with both feet.  I have started slow, with just a few things listed on both sites at this time.  That will change as the days go by.  I hope to have two, fully stocked shops by the end of July.

Along with restarting my business.  I am restarting myself.  I started a diet last year in July when I topped the scale at 247 pounds.  Way too much weight for a 5 foot small boned woman to carry.  I have lost down to 213 pounds just by making better choices in what I eat and walking at least half to one mile daily.  My goal is to be down to 110 - 120 by the end of 2018.

I will be adding bells and whistles to this blog as I go along,  For now its just a bare bones, plain jane undertaking.