So over it

I'm really quite over being depressed. Really. Over. It.

This week, I'm going to be happy. Employees can bitch me out at work. Customers can complain about discounts (I'm sorry, we're already going out of business... what more do you want, people!?). And those insane demands some people are asking of me? Well, let me tell you, I can't do it. And you'll just have to deal. I'm only one person. DEAL.

*BIG SIGH*

It's been quite a while since I posted new works. Here's two of my latest.

Copper, lucite flowers, crystals, pearls, and seed beads. LOOOVE IT. Lol.

Now, I just need to find the time to post to Etsy...

WIP Wedneaday: Depressed

Technically still Wednesday.
No real works.
Having quite a hard time right now.
If I talk about it right now, I'll just start crying again.

I just need to be patient and ride it out.
Sigh.

Thinking of doing something orange.
Blah.

Monday Muses: Happiness in Inspriation

Woo. The last three days have been intense with my store closing. Been a roller coaster of emotions. And absolutely no time for jewelry making. I feel drained and am searching for inspiration. So, I've decided that every Monday, I'll post pieces from artists who inspire me. My muses.

 

Turquoise spinner ring from Balanced. These days, I find myself spinning my bracelets on my wrists. I've never had a spinner ring before, but I imagine it would calm my nerves as much as spinning my bracelets would. I love the color. And I have a ton of these filigree pieces. I'm itching to try weaving on them.

Mohala Woven Flower Ring from smittenforyou. I've seen roses made from fabric but not leaves before! Love this idea. And it's such a beautiful story behind the plant.

Enter the Serpent from gailavira. I can see myself wearing this as a thumb ring. I love that it's adjustable! And this design would probably work as a bracelet as well! Love it.

I think I'm going to start making rings soon. I want to try my hand at woven rings. I've amassed a lovely collection of seed beads because of my wrap bracelets. I should use them to make beautiful rings! 

Now... just to find the time... :P

Back a Day Early!

No WIP Wednesday this week! Sorry! We just got back from our camping trip yesterday. We were supposed to stay til today but everyone decided to leave a day early for various reasons so we also left early too.

It was a ton of fun. And such a beautiful place.

But let me warn you. If you decide to camp at Gaviota State Park, camp in a trailer or an RV or a SUPER sturdy tent. It was UNBELIEVABLY windy. The days were nice but after 4 or 5 pm, the wind picked up and blew everything down.

The group lost a tent, a netted shade, and one of the canopy things fell down. Our water supply tipped over and we had to buy more. And at night, I swear, I thought the tent was going to lift up with Rod and I in it!

But, we were only a 2 minute walk away from the beach which was nice.

And I loved being with my family. I missed my cousins so much.

There were yummy nomnoms and we had so much fun.

And at the end, Rod and I went to Solvang and I bought a tea set. A tiny tea set. Because I like them and am going to start collecting them.

It was a good vacation. I got some terrible news in the middle of it: Borders Books, where I work, is going out of business. The stores all start liquidating Friday (if not totally just closing). I cried. But the one good thing about getting the news during the trip was my family and my love were with me and I could cry and scream and they were there to support me.

I will be out of a job soon. It will be tough. But, with their love and support, I believe I can make it. And I'm hoping that I can do something with Ahtee's Designs that will last. These next few weeks will be interesting. And you're all going to join me on this ride.

YAY!... right? :P

Gone Camping!

Today is the first day of my family's 4 day camping trip. This will be my home for the next 4 days:

We haven't left yet. That photo is from Yelp. The BF's boss had a birthday party last night and we got home kinda late. Of course, everything is last minute with us: packing, buying food and supplies, and getting directions.

Should take us 3 hours to get there. Yikes. But, I'm excited.

I'm taking The Boss of You with me and hopefully, in 4 days, I'll have a clear view of what I want to do... or at least, a better idea.

Hope everyone has a fantastic week! See you in a few days!

Getting Organized: My Everlasting Struggle

I love window shopping at places like Ikea, Office Max, and the Container Store. Why? Because I like to dream about how to furnish and organize my dream studio/office. But it's only been dreams. I want to be organized. I cringe when I look at my room and my desk at work. I've let everything fall to pieces. But all my recent readings on small businesses and reading everyone's blogs... well... I'm starting to get organized again.

Even just the small steps I've taken so far have made making jewelry easier.

Look at that box! That makes me INSANELY happy. I have a WHOLE BOX full of beautiful lucite flowers... most of which are from my order which I received yesterday. I just love looking at it and touching all the flowers. I know. Strange. But, oh gosh, I think they're just delicious and having them organized makes it so much easier to look at and admire them :P

I got the box from the Container Store. I have maybe 3 or 4 of these compartment boxes and 2 single boxes. This is the first one I've utilized. See, I really WANT to be organized, but I'm just lazy.

Now, my "studio" is mobile (everything I need to make jewelry fits in a lovely backpack) but if and when I have my own studio space, I'll probably want to store my beads in something like this-

My tools aren't the only things I need to organize. My time. My money. My life. This is just the first step. YAY!

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

WIP Wednesday: Running Low!

I really need to buy SPOOLS of waxed linen thread. But, payday is Friday and I'm almost out NOW. And of course, my fingers are itching to make bracelets and necklaces. I bought the red thread a few weeks ago and have only used it twice. Even though red is my favorite color, apparently, I love brown, purple, and teal when making bracelets.

Speaking of bracelets and necklaces, Heather Powers of Humblebeads is hosting nature challenges from now until her book release in September. I'm really excited and can't wait to get my hands on her book. And this week's challenge is Trees.

I hope I have time to do this challenge this week. I love Heather's beads and is one of my beady heroes.

Hope everyone is having a fantastic week! Mine has been a bit rough but I think things are starting to look up.