The Big News!

The whole reason I started a blog is right up there!  I'm in the Bead Soup Blog Party and I'm so excited, I can't stand it!  I know you all know about it so I won't get into what it is and how it works. I will, however, direct you to a couple of different places:

First - the lovely Lori Anderson.  I believe Lori was my first "follower" on my blog and is just incredible when it comes to keeping up with comments.  The jewelry she creates is awe-inspiring and exactly the type of stuff I, too, would create if I had the skills/time!

The second blog you should visit is my new friend Shirley.  She is my partner!  She's a beadweaver which, to be honest, doesn't interest me in the least, but Lori purposely matched us up with people who work in mediums we aren't familiar with. We've exchanged emails and I will be searching my stash and perhaps doing a tiny bit of shopping for the soup ingredients I am sending her and anxiously await what she sends me.  Stay tuned!

Oh, Hiiii!

I'm thrilled to announce that I'm not dead.  I'm still sick and kind of dragging my butt on the floor like a dog, but I definitely didn't die.  What?!? I consider that good news!

To give you an idea of what I've been up to...

BTW, this craptastic picture was taken with my cell phone while my boyfriend sleeps and I didn't want to disturb him!  Kelley, do you see your eggs?  They are awaiting their masterpiece!

Yup.  This is my "studio" (she says, tongue firmly in cheek).  I like the word studio, but what I mean to say is the desk I use for homework and studying during the semester, which is actually a table shoved into a corner of our bedroom out the way of everything.

With that said, things are going to be changing a bit around here and we are moving to a different house.  We still rent, and even though renting isn't the best idea for everyone, it is where we are at this stage in life.  The owners of the house we are living in are trying to sell it so they didn't renew our lease and we are moving to a different house at the end of this month.  May be time to pack away the beads, you say?  Uh, yeah.

One of the many, many benefits of the new house (better neighbors, bigger house, nicer, newer house), is that there are three bedrooms plus a den.  What does this mean?  I get to have a craft room!  Can't even TELL you how excited I am about that!  Er...what I'm not excited about is packing and moving and cleaning.

So I'm terribly sorry, but with being sick, moving, working full time and a new semester starting next week, I won't be able to start my monthly giveaways until February.  I'll try to make it double nice, though, how about that?  :)

Peace out, my friends!

This Just In!

This message is brought to you by the good people at NyQuil.  We regret to inform you that Tara has been paws-up the past week with the flu/cold/chest thing that everyone on the planet seems to have and has kept us in business.  Back to your regularly scheduled programming next week...

Oh, Heck...

I was going to blog about my monthly giveaways today, but my camera broke and I could take pictures of what I'm giving away.

So, I'm going to tell you about it and then I'll post pictures as soon as I find my other camera.

Remember this summer when I started a whole thing where I ask a question every week and ask you guys to answer it?  Well, I'm going to start doing that again, but now I'm going to do a giveaway at the end of every month with everyone who comments.  So if I ask four questions and you answer four times, I will put your name in the hat four times. 

Remember, I'm the newbie beader and I need lots of help!

The "official rules" will be announced tomorrow, along with the prize for January.  It's a good one!

I Don't Make Resolutions

A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other.  ~Author Unknown

 

Oh, hai!  It's been a really long time since I've been here, huh?  I could give you a bunch of excuses,  but you're not interested.  I've been trying to learn how to better manage my work/school/personal time. Sometimes it works, and other times, it doesn't.

I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist over-achiever.  So when a semester is in session, I become super-focused on getting that all-important A.  Same with work.  I need to be the very best at what I do, in every aspect.  These aren't terrible qualities to have, but in moderation.  There has always been so very little time for ME.  This includes making jewelry.  I made a pair of earrings for my boss for Christmas, but that's the only piece of jewelry I've made in months and months.  I started this blog to learn new techniques from YOU - the experts!  Instead, I posted a few times and I abandoned it. 

I don't make New Years resolutions - never have and probably never will.  I do, however, spend a lot of time at the end of each year, reflecting on the year gone by, what went wrong, what went right, and what improvements I can make to increase my satisfaction with my life.

I'm not going to lie - 2010 was a challenging year.  I started out the very first week of the year with a major surgery, and because of some complications with that, was sick, off and on, until about May and spent a total of about 3 weeks in the hospital.  I got a B in one of my classes which started in January, but given how the beginning of the year went, I've forgiven myself.  There were some major changes at work, which are still stressing me out. 

There were blessings, too. I completed my second and third semesters of my re-college career. My boyfriend and I got to take a week's vacation to Minnesota to see my family and then to Maine to see his family. Many lobsters were eaten. Thanks to Facebook, I reconnected with dozens of old friends from years past and I am reminded daily how blessed I am to have these people back in my life.  Life is good.

When I think about my creative aspirations, though, I know I am lacking.  So, in no particular order, here are my goals for 2011 - my creative goals, that is.

1. Blog twice a week
2. Comment on your blogs more frequently, but not feel pressured to comment on every post, every day
3. Host a monthly giveaway here - I have plans for that, which I will reveal tomorrow
4. Attend the Tucson bead and gem shows. I live only two hours away in Phoenix! Anyone want to meet up with me?
5. Make two pieces of jewelry per month. It doesn't seem like a lot to most people, but with my school and work schedules, I feel that's a reasonable goal.
6. Take 4 beading classes throughout the year.  I learned literally everything I know from the videos on Auntie's Beads. I'd like to attend a class in person and expand on my skills.
7. Participate in Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Party, which is really one of the big reasons I started a blog!
8. Participate in at least one or two blog hop/challenges

So there you have it. I will be back tomorrow to talk about my giveaways and to announce the first one!