Celebrate Your Success

Even if you didn't reach all the goals you set for yourself this year, you still had many successes.

Take a few minutes to yourself and reflect on what you accomplished this year by creating a list of everything you did achieve.

Here are some prompts to get you started:

Make a list of all the things you learned this year
People you meet and connected with
Blog and websites you were featured on
What helpful books did you read
What did you do that was totally out of your comfort zone
New items you created
A new skill you learned
The number of new followers on Facebook, Twitter, and your blog
How many blog posts did you write
Anyone you helped with their business
Places you showed your art
Shows you applied to and got into
Your revamped studio space

This is just a brief list of  ideas to get you started. When you are done creating you list, you will find that it's a long list. That you accomplished many things this year, and even if you don't feel like you did everything you wanted to complete you still succeeded.

We take for granted our small successes, but seeing them all written down should fill you with joy.
  

Now it's time to celebrate!

Have have a safe and 

Happy New Year!!

Words to Inspire

                               Source: google.com via Valerie on Pinterest

Something to Remember

                              Source: weheartit.com via Valerie on Pinterest

A Little Inspiration

t has been a crazy busy 2 months, and for the last couple of weeks I have been uninspired to do any work. So for the next couple of days I will share quotes to inspire you and me!

                              Source: Uploaded by user via Valerie on Pinterest

I hope you have a very inspired Tuesday!

Motivation Monday

                             Source: Uploaded by user via Valerie on Pinterest

DIY Holiday

Yesterday I had easy projects for your home. Today I have few more inspiring ideas for your holidays.

Source: landeeseelandeedo.com via Dawn on Pinterest

Source: ninasapartment.blogspot.com via Wooden on Pinterest

Source: seltzerstudios.com via BluKatDesign on Pinterest

Source: lookslikewhite.tumblr.com via Susan on Pinterest

Source: bringrestoration.blogspot.com via Ilene on Pinterest

May your holidays be filled with inspiring projects.

DIY Holiday

Need some last minute ideas for sprucing up your home for the holidays? Try these fun DIY projects.

Source: vi.sualize.us via Kristin on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Inge on Pinterest

Source: factorydirectcraft.com via Marta on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Shannon on Pinterest

Source: pinterest.com via Julie on Pinterest

Stop by for more inspiring ideas tomorrow.

Be Inspired - By the Fire

Words to Inspire

“Celebrate the happiness that friends are always giving, make every day a holiday and celebrate just living!”
Amanda Bradley

Idea to Inspire

Relaxing in front of a fire can be very inspiring. Watching the flames dance and create shapes can lead to lots of new ideas. Don't have a fireplace, watching the flames of a cluster of candles should do the trick.

Photos to Inspire

Check out these inspiring places to watch a fire, from Pintrest.

Source: Uploaded by user via Spencer on Pinterest

Source: momdot.com via Hilde on Pinterest

Source: fab.com via Lee on Pinterest

Source: aquaticglassel.com via Megan on Pinterest

Source: fuckyeahexaggeratedcolors.tumblr.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Inspiring Gift Wrap - Week 3

Only 5 more day till Christmas, the stores are packed, and you forgot the wrapping paper. Today I have lots of easy ideas for creating your own packaging with things you can find around your home.

Creative Filler Ideas

Pine needles - Trim your Christmas tree or one for outside
Straw -
Newspaper
Peanuts (in the shell) - They will protect your gift and the recipient can eat them.
Filling from an old pillow

Patchwork Ribbon

Have a lot of ribbon ends that are to short for packages? With some Stitch Witchery (fabric binding tape),  an iron, and your ribbon remnants you can create these fun eclectic ribbons.

Office Copy Room Recycling

Their are lots of fun things you can recycle from an office. Look for colorful photocopies, charts, graphs, calendar pages, flip charts, anything over sized or colorful would work great.

I had an old desk calendar that I did not use this year so I turned it into wrapping paper. It has been fun creating my own designs.  I am going to let my husband and daughter create their own as well.

All it took was an the old desk calendar and some markers. I just ripped off a page flipped it over (it was solid white on the back) and had fun designing my own paper.

More ideas

•Sonya from Kanelstrand blog wrote a guest blog post for Green Living Ideas Blog and she has lots of great ideas in her post Green Holiday Gift Wrap. Check out all her fun suggestions.

•Want some unique ideas? The book Simply Green Giving by Danny Seo has lots of suggestions.

I hope these ideas inspire you to create your own wrapping and packaging this holiday season.

Motivation Monday

               Source: littlecuppycake.tumblr.com via Valerie on Pinterest

Share your four words in the comments.

Sophistication & Charm

Sophisticated and charming? Who would of thought pre-fall 2012 would have so many charming details such as bows from Burberry Prorsum, and adorable fuzzy pockets from Thakoon. I love these two collections because they make being grown up more child like and fun with these added details. As well as the very pastel color palette from Thakoon adding to the charm and the cute.

Would you rock the fuzzy pockets and the bow belts?? 

Photos from Style.com

Last Day of 100 Sales 100 Days

It's been 100 days since I set my goal of 100 Sales 100 Days.

Ending Etsy Stats
Etsy sales - 55
Items sold - 83
Etsy Shop hearts - 135

I didn't make my goal, but I ended up with 55 sales this season and I worked hard for those sales this year. When Etsy changed to relevancy at the end of September my views and sales crashed. October was a tough month I only had 4 sales.

At the end of October I received a message from a fellow Etsy seller with tips for helping my shop come up in searches. I have spent weeks (and I'm still working on it) changing all my titles and tags.

Thanks to her tips and ideas, I started making these changes and my views tripled. In November I got 22 sales, which is more then last year for that month. So it has been worth all the work.

All in all it was not a bad holiday season on Etsy. I did reach one of the big goals I set for myself at the beginning of the year of getting over 700 items sold. I made that goal, and I am thrilled.

2011 Show Display

It has been a very busy selling season outside of Etsy this year.  I had six shows this season and at my first shows I sold over 75% of my inventory. I have spent the last 4 weeks making jewelry like a mad women just trying to keep up with all my shows and Etsy sales.

Tomorrow is my last day of me being the crazy jewelry making lady. I am looking forward to taking a break. I plan to spend my days reading, preparing for my family coming for the holidays, and planning for 2012. Maybe I will start 100 Sales in 100 Days in the spring, and try again.

Did you do as well as you planned this season?

Be Inspired - The Beauty of the Outdoors

Words to Inspire

“Nature has a way of reminding us,
that all things great and small,
ebb and flow in rhythm
with the heartbeat of her call.”
Gabriella Goddard

Idea to Inspire

Add a beautiful photo of nature to your space for a burst of inspiration every time you look it up.

Photos to Inspire

Inspiring photos of nature from Pinterest.

Source: piccsy.com via Valerie on Pinterest

Source: luvey.tumblr.com via Valerie on Pinterest

Source: jeddaka.deviantart.com via Valerie on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Valerie on Pinterest

Source: pixdaus.com via Valerie on Pinterest

Craft a Plan

What do you want your 2012 to look like?

The Woodlands Small Calendar 2012 by Khristinahowell

With only a couple of weeks left in 2011, it's time to start crafting your plan for 2012.

Take a hour or so and start a list of all things you want to accomplish in 2012. Want to have more fun cut out pictures and words from magazines and create a collage. Once you have your list it will be easy to start your plan.

Use your list or collage to develop your goals for the year.

Typography Handmade Journal Sketchbook by Apperendo

Give each goal a page in your journal or sketchbook, and start listing action steps that you meet you goal over the year.

This is the perfect place to start your planning for 2012. I am looking forward to starting my plan and I think this year I am going to start with a collage. I will share it with you in a couple of weeks.

Are your ready to craft your plan for 2012?

Motivation Monday

                    Source: thingsweforget.blogspot.com via Valerie on Pinterest

DIY with Kzieglerdesign

$2 Wreath

A couple years ago I was a bit strapped for cash but wanted to decorate my apartment, so I wandered into the dollar store.

The dollar store is spectacular for decorations, because there are so many! I spent at least $20 and decorated my whole house. I've kept a lot of it, and now I want to show you my $2 wreath (since it's decorating time).

What you need:

- Garland
- Ribbon
- Wire hanger (and something to cut it with)
- O-ring
- Thread

Here's what you do:

1. Take the hanger, undo the hook, and make the most circle-y circle you can. It takes some patience, but I believe in you! For a bigger wreath, use multiple hangers

2. Wrap the garland around the wire circle. Remember to keep a finger on where you started.

3. When the whole string of garland is wrapped and your 2 ends are together, take the thread and tie the ends to the wire, leaving long-ish tails on the thread.

4. Take those tails and tie the O-ring to the wreath. Make sure to leave a little extra space between the wreath and the ring so when you hang it, the bottom of the wreath doesn't stick out from the wall (I learned this the hard way)

5. Wrap the ribbon around the wreath (making sure to cover up where the ends meet, but not covering the O-ring) and finish the ends off however your heart desires. I tied mine in a bow.

6. Hang on the wall for instant, cheap holiday cheer!

What deceptively cheap ways do you decorate?

Visit Kim's Blog
 

Inspiring Gift Wrap - Week 2

More unique ideas for packing up your holiday gifts this season.

Some brown wrap, old magazines, string, and buttons create this fun wrapping.

Source: love2upcycle.blogspot.com via Valerie on Pinterest

Music makes pretty paper.

Source: olderandwisor.blogspot.com via Valerie on Pinterest

Solid color paper and hand cut letter tags.

Source: marthastewart.com via Valerie on Pinterest

Last week Reshema from masalamangomantra.blogspot.com shared in the comments that she creates origami boxes for her gifts. What a great idea. Here is a link to the instructions for creating your own origami boxes. This a great way to recycle some paper.

What kind of packaging are you going to do on your holiday packages this year?