Contemplation

No pictures today just some thoughts and a bit of good news. First, out of desperation to pay an overdue bill a few day's ago I posted 4 auctions up on Ebay. Every one was sold, Whew! what relief. This weekend I was a busy weaver and posted a new item in each Etsy and Zibbet. Need to be able to post something new at least once a week if not more often. Today, I was notified that my new cuff that I posted in Etsy was picked for the blog page of today's finds on this website-
www.foundhandmade.com
That always gives you such a great feeling, the pick me up that I needed.

Now the contemplation. I go back and forth constantly with whatever my life circumstances are at the time. As I explained when I first started this blog, my illness and subsequent surgeries permanently disabled me. That being said I have worked hard and come along way since 2004. When my health is not cooperating, I concentrate and work and strive to get my beadwork out there, be a presence wherever I can with the different sites to promote and join in and pray the day comes that this blessing in disguise will help support me. I call it a blessing in disquise because all the years I worked, I worked hard and long hours just to keep a roof over my kids heads and my only sorrow was not having the time to turn my love of beadweaving into a business to see if I could make a career out of it. Being disabled in the way that I have I have the ability to create with my beads as many hours of the day that I want. Somewhere in my heart I beleive that if I stick with it, continue to create, continue to interact, find the right places to market that I can reach the goal that I set for myself which is really not outrageous. Then, the bills start coming in, cutoff notices start circulating through my mail box and I get scared and spend my day's looking through all the job adds, searching for things that my health will allow me to do and there are plenty of things I can do again just maybe not 14 hours a day like I used to. So I email cover letters and resumes. I go on interviews , then I wait and nothing. I get so upset I cry, I have many years of experiance in many fields, I have always been a hard worker, dependable worker, self motivated and strong. Why can't these prospective employers see this? I ask myself over and over why and all the time I am asking, I know the answer. They want to know why I haven't had a job since 2004 and the minute they find out I have had major brain surgery they are frightened of me. I know this, I have to accept this and just stay positive until the day comes that someone can get passed that and see what a asset I could be.

Then- then I get a day like today where my beads have brought me in just enough money to handle the latest crisis and I start another conversation with myself. I start telling myself again to just stick with it. Eventually I am going to start getting the sales I need. Sooner or later the right buyers are going to find me, be patient, keep getting my name out there, keep showing what I make as I get it done, do not get discouraged because someday all the sudden it is going to start working. Yup, the pep talk.
But I believe this pep talk, just have a problem with being patient while I am going through all this mundane fact of life stuff. Does this make sense? Do you go through this stuff? Am I wrong or am I on the right track if I just listen to me? Sure wish an Angel would whisper the answers in my ear cause I get really tired of reassuring me. If you have been where I am please share with me , advice is always a good thing.

Saturday Motivation Part 2

Well I am definately wondering what got into me today. Last night I put 4 items up on Ebay and this morning woke up with a bid on each item. That started my day out well because it was the last thing I expected. Then I decided to get some work done and finished the two items below. The cuff got listed in my Etsy shop and the keyring was sent to my Zibbet shop. Now I have 2 different amulet bags on my table that are in progress and if I finish one of them tonight (or this morning since it is after midnight) I will go to bed amazed with myself. Course I may want to stay in bed half the day to make up for working this hard but it has been a while since I have accomplished so much at one time so it feels good. I feel like I have been in blog for a while and actually I have, when I decide to post I spend quite a while reading other people's updates before I move on to my own post. Something I wanted to point out....... several times I have gone into this person or that persons blog to comment, write my comment and when you try to type the word verification, the screen won't let you scroll down to it so you post can't be finished. I wonder if it is just me or the persons blog? It's just a bit frustrating because if I really enjoy what I just read I would like to let the blogger know. Any way, time to think about bed so have a great evening and a wonderful Sunday.

Saturday Motivation

On a roll

I know I seem to fixate on my dog alot but let me tell you I love this little guy more than I ever thought I could love any creature (besides humans) and I don't know what I would do with out him. When I saw this picture I did not know if I wanted to cry or roll on the floor laughing. This is Prince Alex. Alex is almost 4 years old and weighs just 4 lbs. Last week he got flea's. I gave him a flea bath at home and it did not seem to help at all. He scratched and scratched and dug until he had ripped the hair out of his back side so my daughter took him for his first ever professional flea dip and shampoo and since he was there already have his nails done. Apparently he did not enjoy the attention and tried to eat the lady that was working on him. Since he is a sissy and clings to me, actually gets real tears if I leave him to long . when we go walking he "prances" so my daughter told them he deserved a pink muzzle. How dare they he is a very masculine little guy just has the manners of a prince.

Another Wednesday

I do beleive the heat and high humidity is getting to my 4 lb baby. He is in a chair in my studio with the air conditioning on and still has his little tongue hanging out. HeHe, poor baby!

I was up early this morning had another job interview. Of course it went well but that means nothing. So I sit and wait for a phone call while I read all my job bookmarks to see what else I can apply for. Not a whole lot else going on, I still want to get some more pictures downtown but it has just been to humid to walk much. I don't mind the heat but have a lot of problems with humidity. Mean while I am thinking about signing up for a craft show in October, it is far enough away to make a good amount of stuff and what I don't sell would be good to put in my shops for the holiday shopping season sooo either way it will be good to have stock. I think I need to go take a nap now, not used to having to be up at 6 in the morning anymore.

Hat's Off Saratoga

Saratoga Springs, New York. In July and August that means Horse racing, the Saratoga Harness tracks brings huge amounts of people into the city every summer. Our economy is very dependant on this season. During the winter months it is like they rolled up the sidewalks but during the summer season the tens of thousands of people coming to Saratoga springs help keep every business we have thriving the rest of the year. Restaurants, hotels, grocery stores, independant business of every kind under the sun make the years profit during these 2 months. Any way, the week the track opens is celebrated with what is called the Hat's Off festival. Up and down Broadway, the main drag in the City has different types of musicians and music, people roam up and down the street in everything from shorts and tanks to lovely summer dresses and heels. It is free so not only are the tourists celebrating, those of us who live here are too. There is everykind of food under the sun from Ice Cream to Pizza in peoples hands as they wander stopping to listen to this music and that, all the restaurants have rolled out the outdoor seating areas, some of the stores stay open late for window shoppers. I am very lucky that I live right here in walking distance of all of this activity. My mom and my sister joined me this year and a photographer asked to take our picture, I said yes we should because it may be the last time we can do this together. My mom as stubborn as she is has a very hard time walking for any length of time so this may be her last year as far as strolling Broad way. So here we are, mom sitting on the right, sister Donna standing behind and yup the big one sitting on the left is me, your very own Debsparkles. Just a little more summer fun!

Fixing my Dilema

I often find myself sitting in the studio, getting ready to create a new item and thinking , boy I need to go bead shopping sooooo badly. I don't have anything to work with. Well the translation to that thought is, I want a new color. I want some new beads that I haven't used already or a gemstone I haven't played with. The fact is I have been beading for more than 30 years. I always have beads. The problem is they are leftovers from projects I have already done. Might just be a little bit of this and a little bit of that. The fact of the matter is I just loooooove buying beads. The next fact is I can't. I don't have the funds to buy beads. Right now, work is not selling, don't forsee much in sales until summer is done. Well then it is really time to get creative. I just showed you my beaded keyrings the other day. I really like them. Today I am going to put the beads aside and see what I have left in sculpey and make a bunch of cabs in different colors to keep going with the idea. What else can I do? Well as I said, I have jar after jar after jar of leftovers from past projects. I thought about doing some destash sales. I may still do that with a few things but for the most part, I have a problem parting with any bead until it is part of a peice of jewelry. So I started thinking about how I could use them in embroidered items which I enjoy doing but actually do very little of. Well this butterfly is my end product of thinking along these lines and it gives me ideas to move forward. If I can just utilize all the odds and ends I have then I will be able to justify Bead shopping when I have the money with a totally clear , guilt free need.
I love it when I can actually let my mind free to come up with new ideas.